Fergie to face North East wrath

19 May 2009 08:53
Sir Alex Ferguson has given his clearest indication yet that he will be putting out an under-strength side to face Hull City on Sunday. Phil Brown's Tigers host Manchester United at the KC Stadium in the knowledge should they avoid defeat Middlesbrough will be relegated, while three points would put them out of Newcastle's grasp. In normal circumstances taking points off the newly crowned champions would be the tallest of orders but with the UEFA Champions League final firmly in Sir Alex Ferguson's thinking, Brown's task has got that much easier. United are likely to rest the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, while Rio Ferdinand will not figure as he looks to shake off any lingering doubts about his participation in Rome. Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Sunderland are unlikely to be happy but Ferguson admits he will utilise the full depth of his squad when picking his side to face Hull. "This is the best squad I have ever had," said Ferguson. "I could have picked two teams and I will be picking a team next Sunday which will reflect that. "I have a fantastic squad of about 28 or 29 players to choose from with the introduction of (Federico) Macheda, (Danny) Welbeck, (Rodrigo) Possebon and the Da Silva twins. "I know they're young but they're very good players. I'm as confident for the final as I possibly can because we've won the league so we'll be going to Rome with a fresh team." The quality within Ferguson's ranks means all but a select few will be unsure of a starting berth on Wednesday, but one man who can rest assured that he will at least make the squad is Park Ji-sung. Ferguson's decision to leave the midfielder out of his squad for last season's final against Chelsea left Park devastated, especially when taking into account he had figured and impressed in both semi-final legs against Barcelona. This year though, Ferguson has given Park his word he will figure: "I still have to make the decision about what it's (the team) going to be but Park will not be left out - it almost broke my heart last year to do that - and I think Rio Ferdinand will be fit. "It's the final everybody wanted. It's going to be fantastic and I think we'll win it."

Source: SKY_Sports