Ferguson in defence of under-fire Reid
Two weeks ago, it was Blackburn chief Graeme Souness who leapt to the defence of under-fire Reid, the bookies’ favourite to be the first Premier League manager to be sacked this term. Reid repaid that favour by stringing 10 men behind the ball at Ewood Park and emerging with a 0-0 draw. Reid got a major boost yesterday when not only did he get his man but got two as Sunderland as bolstered their attack with a double swoop ahead of today’s transfer deadline.
They splashed out £10 million to bring both Rangers striker Tore Andre Flo and Ipswich forward Marcus Stewart to Wearside to end a long summer spent trawling the market for frontmen. The pair have both signed three-year deals at the Stadium of Light and could make their debuts against Manchester United.
Sunderland did not reveal how the £10 million figure was divided up, but Rangers confirmed they had received a sum of £6.75 million, which is thought to be an initial payment.
Today, he is looking for his Black Cats to claw a resurgent United, who impressed in their previous league outing against Chelsea before romping to a 5-0 Champions League qualifying triumph over Hungarian minnows Zalaegerszeg in midweek. Given the depth of his current injury crisis, Ferguson has a few problems of his own to deal with. However, it did not stop him offering the hand of support to Reid - a former Manchester rival from Maine Road - whose side recorded a shock 1-0 at Leeds on Wednesday.
‘‘I don’t need to shout from the rooftops about Peter Reid’s ability as a manager,’’ said Ferguson. ‘‘He took over Sunderland when they were in the lower reaches of the First Division. He got them promoted to the Premier League and he has kept them there.”
The Red Devils were able to rush through Ricardo Lopez’s £1.5 million move from Real Valladolid in time to beat the Premier League registration deadline, making him eligible for tomorrow’s journey to the north-east.
The 30-year-old second string Spanish international keeper completed his “dream move” by signing a three-year contract. It remains to be seen whether Ferguson will pitch the new boy in without so much as a training session with his new team-mates.
Roy Carroll has performed admirably in the prolonged absence of regular first-choice Fabien Barthez, although the Northern Ireland international did come in for some criticism for his performance against Chelsea last Friday. Carroll’s inexperience was exposed against Chelsea when he failed to find Ryan Giggs with a quick throw in the final minute of the first half, gifting the home side precious possession from which Boudewijn Zenden eventually scored.
Ricardo will therefore probably leap above Carroll in the overall pecking order, although his debut may yet be delayed until the visit of Middlesbrough next Tuesday. Speculation persists over Roy Keane’s long-term health, although he will lead the visitors at the Stadium of Light.
However, with Gary Neville, Wes Brown and Quinton Fortune all missing with long-term problems, it leaves Ferguson with few selection options.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is almost certain to replace Scholes, although whether he will be pushed up front to partner Ruud van Nistelrooy or deployed in a wider role has yet to be decided.
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