Fergie: Keane’s at his peak

IT IS 17 years this week since Alex Ferguson took over as manager of Manchester United.

But it will be a miserable anniversary if the sound of popping corks comes from the visiting fans for tonight's Champions League tie at Old Trafford.

The crucial clash could be the perfect way to mark the anniversary: victory would not only move United to within touching distance of qualification for the knockout phase but it would also appeal to Ferguson's pride if his team can twice beat the side he supported as a boy but felt were unfair to him as a player.

It will certainly be another blood and thunder affair, and Ferguson believes Rangers' big rivals Celtic have given the Scottish sides confidence by getting to the UEFA Cup final last season.

Ferguson said: "Celtic's performance last year was fantastic, maybe it gave everyone in Scotland a lift don't forget they came down to England twice and won, we are aware of that.

"It raises certain hackles on me and we don't want to be a victim of what happened to other English clubs last year.

"Rangers have done very little wrong this season and we have to make sure they don't control the tempo of the match the way they did in the first half at Ibrox.

"I thought they controlled the rhythm of the game through Mikel Arteta - nobody tackled him, we sat back.

"Even Roy Keane was back in front of the back four, and we don't want that to happen tomorrow. I'm hoping we are far more positive and aggressive in our defending."

Keane could well be the key man again. He has only played 15 minutes of competitive football since Ibrox during which he managed to score a cracker against Portsmouth on Saturday.

Ferguson added: "I told him after the last Rangers game the next one would be against Rangers so from that point of view he will be prepared for it.

"When he's fresh we have seen the difference in the lad he's 32 now anyway irrespective of the big operation he had last year and I think he will be really ready for it.

"Five years ago he was a box to box player, he could cover the ground incredibly well. He always had that wonderful thing about his engine being on all the time.

"Now he channels his energy better, I think he's a far more measured and thinking player. Five years ago he lived on the raw energy he had.

"I think he's a mature player at his very peak as a footballer and I think his effectiveness in terms of influence on the team is stronger and this is maybe because we have had some changes at the club.

"We don't have the Robsons or the Cantonas about the place. He's the senior player now."

United will be missing Paul Scholes from the side which played at Ibrox, who is recovering from groin surgery, but have Brazilian midfielder Kleberson back in the squad after several weeks out with a dislocated shoulder.

Ferguson insists he is not concerned by Ruud van Nistelrooy's scoring drought because Diego Forlan is finally hitting the back of the net.

Ferguson, who was a striker himself, said of the pair's contrasting form: "It would help Ruud with everything if he scored but it does happen with strikers.

"He is not doing a lot wrong with his team play so if he continues that way he is making a great contribution to us."

Ferguson made it clear that Van Nistelrooy was already resigned to missing out on his country's forthcoming Euro 2004 play-off games.

He said: "I think he probably knows he is not playing against Scotland but I think it is a distraction.

"I don't think it is an easy situation for him. I hope he can score quickly and put things behind him."

Rangers manager Alex McLeish is confident he has a strong enough squad to cope, despite losing more players to injury.

The Ibrox boss has lost Fernando Ricksen after the Dutchman was carried off with an ankle injury on Saturday.

Ricksen is "almost certainly" ruled out and Christian Nerlinger is definitely sidelined after pulling a calf muscle in the same game.

That means McLeish has been forced to draft inexperienced youngsters Chris Burke and Andy Dowie into the squad for one of the biggest games of Rangers' season.

McLeish said: "I still have 18 terrific players. I've added a couple of young players to the squad and it will be fantastic for their development and experience in football.

"We have got a lot of good experience in this Rangers team players who have played in Europe and played for their various countries.

"They should go to Old Trafford and not just admire the fantastic arena they will be playing in but show what they can do."

But McLeish insisted that to throw caution to the wind and go all out for goals at Old Trafford would be suicidal for his team.

"It would be suicide for us to go all out attack against a team of Manchester United's quality but we hope we can pick them off in a controlled way."