Silvestre hails team-mate Blanc

World Cup veteran Laurent Blanc will only have a watching brief when Manchester United face Basle in the Champions League on Wednesday as he is planning to retire at the end of the season.

However, Blanc’s fellow Frenchman Mikael Silvestre says his contribution to the club should not be under-estimated.

The arrival of Rio Ferdinand and the re-emergence of Wes Brown, not to mention John O’Shea, has seen the 37-year-old become a fringe figure.

But Silvestre believes Blanc could go on and carve out a good career in corent will be missed probably more by me and Fabien (Barthez) than anyone else,” Silvestre told the club’s official website, www.manutd.com.

“He has a great rapport with all the players though. All the time he is passing on his experience to the squad.

“He is 37 and he has played for so many clubs with different coaches – he has passed that on in the two years he has been here.

“He gives us a lot of his opinions on tactics and technique, which really helps us.

“Laurent has got everything you need to be a coach. He could be a good coach in the future.”

United face a hectic run-in, chasing the Premiership title and trying to lift the European crown on their home ground.

But there will be little rest for Silvestre as the Confederations Cup is being played in France this summer. He is clearly unhappy at the prospect.

“I think that competition is too much,” he said. “After a season with your club you want a rest. It’s going to be hard to be 100% for that tournament.

“It’s not a World Cup or a European Championship, but it’s a competition we will want to win because it is in France.”

United manager Alex Ferguson is set to ring the changes on Wednesday knowing qualification for the quarter-finals is assured.

Roy Keane (hamstring) and Juan Sebastian Veron (ankle) are ruled out while Quinton Fortune (groin) is doubtful.

Ferguson could be tempted to draft in promising midfielders Kieran Richardson and Mads Timm against the Swiss side, who defeated Servette 2-0 at the weekend.