Ronaldo or Bellion to partner Smith

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson can call on only one experienced striker in Alan Smith for the match at Middlesbrough tomorrow.

Wayne Rooney is beginning a three-match ban while Ruud van Nistelrooy and Louis Saha are both injured.

Ronaldo and David Bellion are pushing to partner Smith as United look to record their eighth win in nine Premiership outings.

England defender Gary Neville and Eric Djemba-Djemba return after a flu virus but John O’Shea is ruled out with a thigh injury.

Provisional squad: Carroll, Howard, G Neville, Heinze, P Neville, Ferdinand, Silvestre, Bellion, Keane, Ronaldo, Scholes, Fletcher, Miller, Giggs, Smith, Richardson, Djemba-Djemba.