Manchester United have been boosted by the news that captain Roy Keane will be fit for the crucial match against title rivals Arsenal on Wednesday night.
Keane limped off during United’s emphatic 6-2 over Newcastle on Wednesday, but Sir Alex Ferguson believes that he will be capable of leading his side out at Highbury.
“Roy should be okay. There is some bruising after a dead leg but hopefully he will be all right,” Ferguson said.
The United boss still has injury doubts over several key players. David Beckam, Ryan Giggs and Wes Brown are all struggling with hamstring injuries while John O’Shea is struggling to be fit after sustaining a knee injury.
Keane got some criticism for his performance against Real Madrid last week, but Ferguson believes that he will be back to his best against Arsenal.
“He needs to be in a fight, ‘me against you’. The Arsenal game on Wednesday will suit him more because there will be battles all over the pitch.”
On the other hand, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is sweating over the fitness of his skipper, Patrick Viera, who he believes has a only 50-50 chance of playing after getting a knock from a tackle against Sheffield United in the FA Cup.
“Patrick has suffered a recurrence of his knee injury and now has only a very short time to recover before Wednesday evening,” said Wenger.
Despite the uncertainty over Viera, Wenger is still confident that Arsenal can beat United and become Champions again.
“We know that Manchester United are a good side, but we know that we can beat them. It has happened before.”
