Subs bench for virus-hit Keane

Roy Keane could only find a place on the Manchester United substitutes’ bench for the match against Portsmouth at Fratton Park despite recovering from the illness which has kept him out of the last two games.

Rio Ferdinand kept the captain’s armband in a side showing just one change from the crucial win over Arsenal, with Alan Smith replacing the suspended Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp called up three of his four main strikers, with Lomana LuaLua and Diomansy Kamara playing wide either side of Aiyegbeni Yakubu.

Captain Arjan de Zeeuw was back to strengthen the defence after proving his recovery from knee trouble against Leeds in the Carling Cup in midweek.

Portsmouth: Hislop, Primus, De Zeeuw, Stefanovic, Unsworth, Quashie, Faye, Berger, LuaLua, Kamara, Yakubu.

Subs: Ashdown, Griffin, Cisse, Mezague, Fuller.

Man Utd: Carroll, Gary Neville, Ferdinand, Silvestre, Heinze, Ronaldo, Phil Neville, Scholes, Giggs, Rooney, Smith.

Subs: Brown, Saha, Keane, Miller, Ricardo.

Referee: N Barry (N Lincolnshire)