Gardner set to face United
16 Oct 2007 - 12:40:59
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- Gardner set to face United
Aston Villa midfielder Craig Gardner is confident that he will have recovered from a groin injury in time to play against Manchester United on Saturday.
The 20-year-old, who has started five Premier League games for Martin O'Neill's side so far this term, was forced to pull out of the England Under-21 squad because of the problem.
However, he told the Birmingham Mail: "Everything's fine. My groin's still a bit sore, but I'm doing more rehab each day and hopefully I'll be ready for Saturday.
"It's a game I really don't want to miss. Man U at home is one of the biggest, if not the biggest game of the season, so I'm determined to be fit and it would be nice to be a part of the team that plays against United.
"These are the games no player wants to miss. You want to go out there and perform in front of over 40,000 and you want to play against the likes of Ronaldo, Rooney, Giggs - what more can you ask for?
"They're players I admire, true professionals, and to come up against them is what I've always aimed for.
"We'll give them all the credit they deserve and we'll respect them, but when they come to Villa Park we won't give them anything. We'll hit them as hard as we can.
"Villa Park isn't an easy place for teams to come. I'm sure Chelsea came here thinking they were going to get all three points and we won 2-0."