Cup has special place in Fergie’s heart

ALEX FERGUSON insists the FA Cup will always have a special place in his heart.

The world's most famous cup competition lost some of its shine with Manchester United's controversial withdrawal three seasons ago.

Ferguson admitted the World Club Championship they entered instead offered a unique chance to rest his players under the Brazilian sun during mid-season and they returned hungry and fresh to collect the Premiership with ease.

Now, with the increasing importance of Champions League combat and a poor record in the last couple of seasons since United's return, many pundits have speculated that Ferguson is no longer interested in the first trophy he secured as Old Trafford boss.

However, the man himself is adamant nothing could be further from the truth and that he is looking forward with relish to today's sell-out clash with Nationwide League title chasers Portsmouth.

"The FA Cup is a tremendous tournament and it means a lot to me," he said. "You can get caught up in the cup atmosphere very easily and over the years we have been involved in some great ties and scored some great goals. When we won it in 1990, the excitement just got bigger as we went along. We played every game away from home and the support we received was fantastic.

"You don't forget those moments and that is why I hope we can get on a good run this year." Not that Ferguson is expecting an easy time, despite Portsmouth's lower league standing.

"They will come here buoyed with confidence and bringing 9,000 fans the atmosphere is always at its best when there are a lot of away supporters in the ground and it is not a game we can take lightly."

Ferguson has injury concerns over Fabien Barthez and John O'Shea, both of whom limped out of Wednesday's last-gasp win over Sunderland, although top scorer Ruud van Nistelrooy should be available.

The 18-goal Dutchman has missed United's last two Premiership outings with an infected foot but returned to training yesterday and providing he feels no ill-effects will be handed a starting role, probably at the expense of Diego Forlan. Spanish keeper Ricardo stands by to replace thigh strain victim Barthez, while Gary Neville will step in for O'Shea if, as expected, the young Irishman does not recover from a calf strain.

However, Ryan Giggs must wait to see if he is handed a recall after being relegated to the bench during the new year period. Giggs' memorable semi-final replay winner against Arsenal in 1999 was one of the highlights of Ferguson's tenure at the Theatre of Dreams, but he is still trying to coax consistent performances from the Welsh winger, whose dip in form bizarrely coincided with United's eight-match winning run.

Paul Scholes operated down the left flank against Birmingham and again on Wednesday until a mid-match reshuffle but with van Nistelrooy ready to return, the flame-haired England man may find himself restored to his role between midfield and attack, vacating the berth which Giggs would hope to fill.

It's the type of selection dilemma Pompey's veteran managerial duo would love to have. But as Ferguson admits, old mates Harry Redknapp and Jim Smith have used their own experience to revive the ailing south coast club.

"The experience of Harry and Jim has been really important to Portsmouth," said Ferguson.

"Considering they were nearly relegated last season, the pair of them have done a fantastic job. The turnaround is quite amazing."