This is weird.
Fabio should be able to play right back though? Being right-footed and all.
That is if O'Shea/Evans are unfit to play.
Nightmare scenario for Manchester United defence: James Ducker
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article5786932.ece
Manchester United are wrestling with a defensive injury crisis before the first leg of their Champions League tie in the first knockout round against Inter Milan at the San Siro tomorrow that Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager, described as “a nightmare”.
Ferguson has stated that his present squad is the strongest he has had during his 22½year reign at Old Trafford, but those claims are likely to be put firmly to the test against Inter as the United manager prepares to face José Mourinho’s Italian champions without as many as six defenders.
United were always going to have to do without Nemanja Vidic, who is suspended as a consequence of his red card against Liga de Quito in the Club World Cup final in Yokohama, Japan, in December, but Ferguson’s options have been further reduced by an untimely spate of injuries.
Wes Brown has been ruled out for around a month with a damaged metatarsal and Gary Neville (virus/muscle problem) is unavailable, while there are also serious doubts about the fitness of John O’Shea (heel) and Jonny Evans, who limped out of United’s 2-1 victory at home to Blackburn Rovers in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday with a recurrence of an ankle injury that recently kept him out for 3½ weeks. To compound matters, James Chester, 20, United’s only other fit, recognised centre half, who is on a month’s loan at Peterborough United, has not been included in United’s Champions League squad and so cannot be called upon.
Evans was being closely monitored by United’s medical staff yesterday, but if he or O’Shea fail to recover in time, Ferguson will have no option but to play someone out of position as a central defender.
Although Edwin van der Sar, the goalkeeper, who was rested against Blackburn, will return in place of Tomasz Kuszczak, only Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra of United’s first-choice back four are available, while Ferguson could also opt to play Darren Fletcher at right back instead of Rafael Da Silva after the Brazilian’s inexperience showed during an unconvincing performance against Blackburn. If Evra is asked to move into central defence, Fábio Da Silva could be deployed at left back, but whatever the scenario, the injury crisis could not have been more poorly timed, coming before arguably United’s most important game of the season.
“I hope we can get two centre backs out because at this moment it’s very doubtful,” Ferguson said. “Jonny Evans is unlikely to be playing. I just hope we get John O’Shea available because we don’t have Vidic, we don’t have Gary Neville and we don’t have Wes Brown.
“We’re having a nightmare with defenders this season in terms of injuries and suspensions. Hopefully we can patch up [a defence] for Inter because it does leave us very, very short.”