Ferguson: Every Man United player has a part to play in title run-in
Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson says each member of his squad has an important part to play as the season reaches its climax
Sir Alex Ferguson says every member of his Manchester United squad will have an important role to play as the season reaches its climax.
The Red Devils are bidding to win a second Treble under Ferguson this season, with United 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League table and in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Real Madrid make the trip to Old Trafford for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie next week, with Ferguson’s man management skills being tested amid a demanding schedule.
And the 71-year-old pointed to Paul Scholes’s contribution to their successful 1998-99 campaign, insisting that all of his players have a part to play, whether that be in United’s starting line-up or from the bench.
“In 1999 I left Paul Scholes out of the quarter-final against Inter yet he was the one who scored the goal that got us through,” Ferguson told MUTV.
“I left him out of the semi-final because I couldn’t risk him and Roy Keane together as they were both on yellow cards. He accepted it graciously, came on, got booked and missed the final anyway.
“What did he do? He didn’t let it affect him. He went on to become one of the greatest players this club has ever had.
“The players sense it could be a big year for them.
“But at this club, in this situation, anything can happen on the run-in. Players can all of a sudden find themselves playing in a final or an important league game because that is the kind of squad I have.
“It is very difficult to rotate the squad at the moment. They all wanted to play against Real Madrid and there were a lot of disappointed players.
“That was fantastic. It is a measure of their own confidence in themselves.
“But we had a chat. I said ‘look, don’t think for a minute losing a game for Manchester United is a trivial matter’. It is a serious matter.”
