Strikers give Sir Alex problems

Sir Alex Ferguson says that even selecting United’s substitutes bench has become a dilemma – but one of his greatest challenges is choosing the team’s strike-pairing.

Louis Saha (12 goals) and Wayne Rooney (eight) have been his preferred choice for much of the campaign. But with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer possessing the most clinical record (nine goals in 17 games) and Henrik Larsson already making his mark, the United boss has a tough decision on his hands every week.

Not that they are sole contributors to the scoreline; 13 others have chipped in this season, while winger Cristiano Ronaldo is top scorer on 13. For Sir Alex, the potential for goals in attacking positions has summoned memories of United’s Treble season, and the quartet of Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Teddy Sheringham and Solskjaer.

“My thoughts go back to our Treble year with no doubt in my mind that the key to our success in 1999 on three fronts was the fact that we also had four top-class strikers,” the Reds boss wrote in his United Review programme notes.

“I was able to vary my selections and keep our attack fresh and firing on all cylinders with each of them making a telling contribution as we went quickly from one competition to another, especially in the closing stages when the games arrived thick and fast.”

Talk of repeating the feat of 1999 is hugely premature, but despite that the United boss will not refine his team’s ambitions to one competition. “Hopefully, with four strikers available now, we will be able once more to keep the goals coming in the Premiership, the FA Cup and soon in Europe,” he adds.