Wenger makes case for United defence

Arsene Wenger believes the performance of Manchester United’s defence against Barcelona will determine whether his old rival Sir Alex Ferguson gets his hands on another Champions League trophy next week.

United had no trouble containing Arsenal on Saturday as they secured a goalless draw which enabled them to clinch a third consecutive Premier League crown and Wenger expects a similar pattern to the Champions League final in Rome.

“We had a lot of the ball and they relied a lot on the counter-attack,” Wenger said. “It could be a similar game against Barcelona.

“Man United’s defence can certainly make the difference. What Chelsea did against Barcelona (in the semi-final) was restrict them to very few chances and they were very strong in the challenges. he speed and size of the pitch will also be of importance of the game.”

United’s defensive excellence has been the foundation of their success this season but Ferguson is not certain to be able to name a first-choice back four with Rio Ferdinand struggling to recover from a calf injury which has kept him out of the club’s last three matches.

If Ferdinand is not fit enough to return to the United team for Sunday’s final league match at Hull, Northern Ireland’s Jonny Evans will partner Nemanja Vidic at centreback.