Ferguson: Injuries have unsettled us

ALEX FERGUSON has admitted a glut of injuries has unsettled Manchester United this season.

United have bounced back from their derby-day mauling by recording five straight wins without conceding a goal.

Yet there remains a hesitancy in their play, born out of having to make so many changes.

In pairing Michael Carrick with Ryan Giggs in the centre of United’s midfield at Swansea on Saturday, Ferguson was using his ninth different combination.

Central defence has seen just as many changes, with Jonny Evans, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling all used at various times in addition to established first choices, Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.

And with Vidic serving the final game of a two-match European ban in tonight’s Champions League encounter with Benfica, Ferguson will be forced to make another swap.

It is not something the Scot is too concerned about.

However, he does concede the normal fluency that would be expected from such an impressive sequence of victories is missing.

“There have been some changes in the team from the one that started the season,” said Ferguson. “It doesn’t disrupt us to a great degree but it does unsettle the balance of the team.

“Sometimes we are having to rethink which team to play whereas when the team is in full flow you don’t need to worry.”

Winger Nani has particular incentive to impress given he came through the ranks at Benfica’s arch rivals Sporting Lisbon, just like his illustrious former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.

Nani tends to bridle these days when comparisons are made with the former world player of the year.

But Ferguson believes he is becoming a key man in his own right.

“Nani has always had potential,” he said. “Some of those who come to our club from abroad do it quickly, others gradually grow into it. Nani is one of those.

“Even Cristiano took two or three years to get the maturity in his game.

“That is what we are seeing with Nani now.’’

For his part, Benfica coach Jorge Jesus has rejected the theory of the Premier League being the self-styled “best league in the world”.

Jesus said: “In Spain, Germany and Italy there is a big technical and tactical input in every match.

“There are many foreign players in England, and also quite a few teams have foreign managers, so the quality has improved.

“The English league is a good league but compared with Spain, Germany and Italy it is not so good.”

Jesus does claim Benfica’s opponents tonight are a class apart given their outstanding form in Europe over the last four years, during which time they have played in three finals.

“They are different,” he said. “That is the reason why they have won so much. They keep the ball quite well and in almost every match they have 60% possession compared with the other team.”