Saha set for return

Alex Ferguson is set to pitch Louis Saha back into the Premiership fray at Birmingham praying the Frenchman finally gets an injury-free run.

The striker was plagued by an Achilles problem during the early stages of his United career and then suffered a knee injury on international duty in the Faroe Islands last month after just a single Red Devils start.

Saha made an impressive return to action for the reserve side last Thursday in the match disrupted by anti-Malcolm Glazer protesters at Altrincham and followed up with another encouraging display against Manchester City’s second string on Tuesday.

And now Ferguson is hoping his £12.8million capture from Fulham last January can build on the brilliant form that brought him four goals in his first five appearances for the Old Trafford outfit.

“Louis looked good in both reserve games and did fantastically well in training yesterday,” said the Scot.

“Now all we can do is hope he gets a bit of time free of injuries that will give him a real run in the side.”

With his combination of blinding pace, strength and lethal finishing, Saha would walk into most first choice Premiership sides. At United though he has to contend with the presence of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney and Alan Smith.

For the first time this weekend, Ferguson has the entire quartet available although, while all four will travel to the midlands, Blues boss Steve Bruce will be spared the unenviable task of trying to stop them all.

“I’m taking them all with me but I don’t think you will see all four,” said Ferguson.

“Nevertheless, it is good to have them – it’s just a question of which ones to pick.”

With a Champions League trip to Prague looming on Tuesday, followed by the Premiership crunch with Arsenal next weekend, Ferguson is looking to keep his squad fresh, which is likely to mean changes from the side that drew with Middlesbrough on their last outing a fortnight ago.

However, one area unlikely to see any alteration is defence, especially as Gabriel Heinze has returned from World Cup duty with Argentina declaring himself fit and ready to play.

Heinze’s United career was famously delayed because of his Copa America and Olympic commitments but the 24-year-old has quickly made up for lost ground, scoring on his debut at Bolton and then earning widespread praise for his aggressive performances in the left-back slot, which he seems to have made his own.

And, although he has been playing virtually non-stop for the last 15 months, Heinze is not seeking a rest.

“Gabriel didn’t come back from South America until this morning but he is fit and fresh and says he wants to play,” said Ferguson.

“He has a fantastic attitude to playing matches and that is something to be really admired.”

Having fallen nine points behind Arsenal, United need three points to maintain contact with the Gunners and can approach the game with confidence given their impeccable recent record against Steve Bruce’s men.

Bruce has not gained so much as a point against United since taking charge at Birmingham in 2001, although he has won praise from his former manager for the work he has done at St Andrews.

And, after observing the centre-half at close quarters during his time at Old Trafford, Ferguson was never in any doubt Bruce would eventually transfer his skills to the management side.

“I always felt he would go into coaching and from there you have to decide whether to go into management or not,” he said.

“He has always had great enthusiasm and that is what we have come to expect of his team and that is what we are preparing to face tomorrow.”