Manchester United injuries and form make no difference to O'Neill

Jan 4 2008 By Bill Howell, Birmingham Mail

MANCHESTER United's faltering form and lengthening injury list has cut no ice with Martin O'Neill.

Carlos Tevez is a major doubt with a bruised ankle, Wayne Rooney is said to be a doubt with a virus, Edwin van der Sar has a groin injury, while Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Mikael Silvestre are long-term absentees.

Added to that was a 2-1 league defeat at West Ham and a faltering and perhaps ultimately flattering 1-0 win over Blues on New Year's Day when Sir Alex Ferguson turned on the home support.

But crisis? O'Neill won't believe a word of it.

"I tend to see it the other way," he said.

"Manchester United are Manchester United because they can stand one or two injuries and I wouldn't be surprised to see Wayne Rooney's name on the teamsheet tomorrow.

"At this minute they are taking everything in their stride.

"They may not have played brilliantly against Birmingham by their own standards, but they won the game.

"And as Alan Curbishley said after the game at West Ham, had Cristiano Ronaldo not missed the penalty the outcome might have been so very different.

"So I will take any supposed turmoil with the proverbial pinch of salt."