Fortune: No excuses for failure

Quinton Fortune insists Manchester United’s patchwork side will have no excuses for defeat by Maccabi Haifa in Nicosia tonight.

Alex Ferguson is likely to name a team containing only four members of his first-choice line-up and a vastly inexperienced substitutes’ bench for the Champions League clash after leaving most of his big names at home.

With qualification for the second phase already secure, Ferguson took the opportunity of sparing some members of his squad the nine-hour round trip to the edge of the Middle East, while also allowing the likes of Ryan Giggs time to rest niggling injuries.

However, the sizeable number of Cypriot-based United fans who will make up the majority of the 22,000 crowd at the GSP Stadium need not worry. Fortune believes the team who turn out still have much to prove.

“It’s a big game for Maccabi but it’s the same for us,” said the South African winger.

“A few of us are going to be given a chance and we have to impress. There will be no strolling around and there will be no excuses if we don’t win.”