Tevez to stake United claim in League Cup semi-final

Carlos Tevez will be given another chance to prove he deserves a long-term deal at Manchester United as Sir Alex Ferguson prepares to throw him back into action in a League Cup semi-final.

Tevez will return for United in Wednesday’s first leg against Derby County and is on a mission to show Ferguson he has a future at Old Trafford.

The Argentina forward’s contract situation with the Premier League champions is still shrouded in uncertainty, with his current deal due to run out after the end of this season.

But Tevez is expected to feature at Pride Park as English, European and world champions United eye yet another trophy.

He has missed the last two games, against Middlesbrough and Southampton, following Ferguson’s decision to give him permission to return home for personal reasons.

The ex-West Ham striker returned to Britain on Sunday and Ferguson has revealed that he will play against Championship strugglers Derby, possibly replacing either Wayne Rooney or Dimitar Berbatov.

“Carlos was back in training on Monday and he’ll be involved on Wednesday,” Ferguson said.

“It’ll be virtually the same squad that played Southampton on Sunday in the FA Cup. I might leave out one or two, but it’ll be more or less the same group of players.”

Teenage striker Danny Welbeck is expected to be rewarded for his impressive display against Southampton with another run-out.

Welbeck enhanced his burgeoning reputation with the first goal in United’s 3-0 win against the Saints and Ferguson has tipped the 18-year-old for stardom.

“Danny did a good job for us and you can see the ability he’s got,” he said.

“He’s still growing and can get a bit weak at some moments during games, but overall we’re very pleased with him.

“It was good for him to experience playing away from home because it’s always more difficult. He showed a good temperament to play.

“He’s got a good personality, he always enjoys playing. The potential is definitely there.”

Derby, who last reached the semi-finals of this competition back in 1968 find themselves in the strange position of being on the cusp of a Wembley final but without a full-time manager.

Chris Hutchings, appointed caretaker boss following Paul Jewell’s resignation last week, will pick the side in what is certain to be his last game in charge.

Seb Hines is in line for a dream debut for Derby after arriving on loan from Premier League outfit Middlesbrough.

“This is a great opportunity for my boys to make a name for themselves against a team that are the current world champions,” said Hutchings.

“We’re aware that we’ve got a lot of improvement to find in the league but that all goes out of the window in a cup encounter like this.

“We’re only two games away from Wembley and my only hope is that we can go to Old Trafford for the second leg still in touching distance.”