Miller could be secret weapon

ROY KEANE believes Liam Miller could turn out to be Manchester United's secret weapon this season.

Miller came off the bench and played an excellent cameo for United in their 2-1 Champions League qualifying win over Dinamo Bucharest.

It was Miller who forced Dinamo into conceding the own-goal which turned out to be the winner and United skipper Keane believes the fact that the 23-year-old is relatively unknown in the Premiership means he will surprise some sides in the forthcoming campaign.

Keane said: "We saw against Dinamo what he is capable of. He gets into dangerous situations and we have seen with Celtic what a danger he can be. I think he can do really well for United because not many people really know about Liam and there's no big pressure on him. So, please God, I think he could be very good for us."

Miller moved from Celtic in the summer and United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was also delighted with the contribution made by the player on his competitive debut.

"He showed great assurance and confidence and did really well. He was a bonus for us," said the Scot.

If Miller made a telling contribution from the bench there was another excellent debut by Alan Smith, who proved a handful for Dinamo up front, while Keane's steadying influence at centre-back was also vital to United's victory. Keane joked: "The boss wanted to play me there because of my pace... no, I think he wanted my experience at the back, we didn't want any mishaps and we did a good job in the end.

"A couple of years ago we lost 1-0 in Hungary at the same stage and didn't want to take any chances. There was some pressure when we were 1-0 down but we knew we could get an away goal and hopefully when we get back from Old Trafford we will have one or two back from injury." United will be without nine regulars against Chelsea on Sunday, and Miller might even start as Darren Fletcher, whom he replaced in Romania, is suspended. Ferguson will just be relieved that Smith has made such an impact since his move from Leeds.

Ferguson said: "I think that since Alan Smith walked through the door at Old Trafford he has been absolutely sensational.

"He was a real handful for the Dinamo defenders, he made a great contribution and has been a tremendous signing for us."

Chelsea at Stamford Bridge should provide a more intense scrutiny of how United can cope with their current selection problems. Keane, however, believes there is no reason to feel daunted despite the gaps in the ranks.

He added: "Look at the teams we put out against Dinamo or against Arsenal - there were maybe 10 internationals playing.

"There's absolutely no point talking about the players who are injured, there really isn't. They are out of the picture until they are back from injury. It gives others, the younger players, an opportunity.

"It's a great chance for them to be positive and go on and take their chance."