Fergie waits on ill duo

Alex Ferguson will check on the fitness of Louis Saha and Alan Smith before finalising his squad for Tuesday’s Carling Cup quarter-final at Birmingham.

Both men missed the weekend win over Aston Villa after picking up a virus and, with a busy Christmas programme looming, Ferguson will want to be sure the duo are 100% fit before he selects them again.

Although the Red Devils are now out of Europe, Ferguson still intends to select a young squad, with Giuseppe Rossi and Gerard Pique among those attempting to guide United into the last four for the second successive season.

Team (from): Howard, Steele, Neville, Bardsley, Eckersley, Brown, Pique, O’Shea, Richardson, Ronaldo, Fletcher, Martin, Smith, Park, Jones, Rossi, Saha, Ebanks-Blake, Rooney.