Fergie faces anxious wait over injured trio

(GSM) – Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is sweating over the fitness of three key players as he prepares to take on Manchester City in a crucial clash at Eastlands.

Wayne Rooney has been touted for a return to action this weekend but the boss said on Friday, “Wayne has done some work in the last couple of days and we’re going to assess how he does today [in training] to see how he is for Saturday’s game.”

“The big problem is that all the players want to play. But we have to be 100 per cent sure that Wayne is ready.”

Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs are also rated doubtful for the game, “The same applies for Ryan and Rio, although they are both behind Wayne in terms of the work they have done.”

“Picking up injuries in last Sunday’s game is a problem in terms of recovery time, but at least they have done some jogging. I have to consider them if they manage to do something today (Friday). But it’s up in the air at the moment.”

On a more positive note, Owen Hargreaves is in the travelling squad after training well on Thursday, while John O’Shea has made a good recovery after coming off at Ewood Park with a slight injury last Sunday.

“I think with John it was just tiredness after his first start in quite a while. Other than that everyone is fit.”

Whoever is passed fit and selected by Sir Alex will be under no illusions about the importance of Saturday’s match, it being the first of United’s last four league games with a four-point gap to close on Chelsea.

“It’s a pivotal week of the season for four teams – ourselves, Manchester City, Chelsea and Spurs,”

“Being selfish, we obviously hope that we and Spurs both win,” Scot tactician added.