Redknapp: United will push Blues
United are unbeaten in the league this season but have drawn more games than they have won.
They have also been at the centre of one of the most extraordinary footballing sagas of recent years, which ended when Wayne Rooney finally signed a new five-year contract last week.
Rooney looked set to leave Old Trafford after publicly questioning the club’s ambition, amid concerns they had been in decline since the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.
But Spurs boss Redknapp believes once Rooney recovers from an ankle injury and rediscovers his form, Alex Ferguson’s men will be back on track.
“They’ve had a few problems, haven’t they, obviously losing Rooney with his injury and then another few problems they’ve had with Rooney,” Redknapp said.
“When he comes back firing on all cylinders, they’ll always be there.
“They’ve got a fantastic manager; he gets the best out of them every year; they produce great teams and I wouldn’t write them off. They’ll be right again there pushing all the way for the championship.
“Chelsea are obviously favourites at the moment but I don’t think Man United will be too far away again come the end of the season.”
Tottenham will face a Rooney-less United today, and Redknapp admitted that was a prospect he would relish.
“I’d be a liar if I said otherwise,” he said. “I’d rather see Rooney’s name not on the team-sheet any day of the week.”
Spurs appear to need all the help they can get winning at Old Trafford if their recent record there is anything to go by. It is almost 21 years since they last tasted victory there in any competition.
Redknapp joked: “I wouldn’t take the blame for what happened in ‘89 or ‘90, or ‘91, ‘92, ‘93, or all those other years.
“It’s a hard place for anyone. How many teams have been there and won? They lose one or two home games a season at the most.
“A lot of it is belief, believing that you can go there and get a result. If you go there and you’re negative about it, you won’t.
“We’ll go there tomorrow with a team looking to take the game, if we can, to Man United. We’re not going to go there and shut up shop completely.
“We’ve got talent and we’ll look to go there and do our best to attack them at every opportunity that we get.”
Javier Hernandez’s spell in the Manchester United spotlight is set to continue after it emerged Rooney’s spell on the sidelines is going to be longer than first thought.
Rooney was expected to be out of action for three weeks but manager Alex Ferguson yesterday said he thought it could be longer.
That would almost certainly rule the England striker out of the potentially explosive derby against Manchester City at Eastlands on November 10.
With Michael Owen also sidelined, that could mean an extended chance for summer signing Hernandez, who has impressed with four goals in his last four games.
The 22-year-old Mexico international struck twice, including a late winner, in last weekend’s crucial Barclays Premier League victory over Stoke and followed up with another decisive goal against Wolves in the Carling Cup.
Ferguson has been impressed by the way he has settled since his move from Guadalajara but never had any doubts he would succeed.
The Scot said: “We are not surprised because we identified a lot about him before we signed him. We did a lot of work on him.
“Seeing him in pre-season and training we thought he would do well.
“He is young and wants to learn and he comes from a really good football pedigree. He speaks the language and that is important. Everything is in his favour.
“His winning goal on Tuesday demonstrated again that he is a very good finisher.”
Ferguson, meanwhile, has insisted the Rooney saga ahead of today’s visit of Tottenham.
“The players are focused,” Ferguson said. “That is the important thing.
“It was a good result for us on Sunday, a strong result in the sense of we know how difficult it is to go to Stoke.
“The good part for me was coming back from losing a goal. Given our record this year of losing late goals, it could have been a killer for us.
“But they galvanised themselves really well.
“They played their best football in that five-minute period after they scored and then after our second goal. It was a good lift for everyone."
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