Defensive Injury List Mounts Up at Old Trafford

There is a short-term injury crisis at Manchester United, as far as defenders are concerned. Out of the 9 first team defenders, 8 are on the treatment table. Rio Ferdinand, Jonny Evans and John O'Shea are out at least till January. Sir Alex Ferguson's troubles have mounted up now that Nemanja Vidic, Wes Brown, Gary Neville and the Da Silva twins, Rafael and Fabio, are also out for different amounts of time. This leaves Patrice Evra, the left back, as the only remaining first team defender still fit to play.

United play German champions Wolfsburg tonight, needing a point to secure top spot in their group in the Champions League. Their qualification was confirmed a while back, but finishing top of the group is a matter of pride as well as getting a favorable draw in the next round. Wolfsburg need a win to book their progression, and they will fancy their chances as United are sure to field a weakened side. 23-year-old Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko, who is linked with a switch to Old Trafford, will be looking to further cement his reputation as one of the best young strikers around and maintaining his excellent scoring record. He scored at Old Trafford with a towering header, and Sir Alex Ferguson will be keeping a keen eye on him.

The dilemma of whom to play in defense will be a tough one, and it is expected that Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick will play in the center of defense. Carrick showed he is more than capable of filling this position as United thumped West Ham 4-0 over the weekend, and Fletcher is also a player of great quality who can temporarily play as a center back. There are rumors that 19-year-old Oliver Gill, son of Manchester United Chief Executive David Gill, could also get some playing time. Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and Edwin Van Der Sar are also not going to be making up a part of the squad as they have been left behind in Manchester.

A lot has been said about the injury problems at Arsenal and Liverpool, but both of those teams will be glad that they can at least call up their first team defenders. With the busy Christmas period fixture list coming up, this could be a major setback for Man United. The young players can be counted on though, as this has always been a dominant characteristic of Ferguson's Manchester United. Young Irishman Darron Gibson could steal the show again as he is in a rich vein of form, scoring 3 thunderous goals in his last 2 games. He is expected to start again tonight.