Fergie not concerned by goal-shy strikeforce

Carlos Tevez in training ahead of Roma clash
13 April 2012

Sir Alex Ferguson insists there is no problem with Manchester United's attack despite a scarcity of goals.

Five out of United's last seven games have ended in 1-0 wins but Ferguson believes his new Wayne Rooney-Carlos Tevez strike partnership is starting to click.

United face Roma in the Champions League tomorrow night and when the sides met at Old Trafford last season Ferguson's team scored as many goals - they won 7-1 - as they have in eight Premier League matches so far this campaign.

They have scored 11 fewer goals than at the same stage last season but Ferguson is not worried by his strikers' form.

He said: "All the front players have been slow to get on to their game - that's understandable with Wayne with his injury and Tevez missing pre-season.

"They are getting better and will continue to do that. I think the partnership is good, using Wayne as a more advanced player and Carlos dropping in.

"They have that understanding, there are moments when Wayne drops in or drifts to the side but that's not a problem for us, it keeps our flow going.

"We know that Wayne can penetrate, that Cristiano Ronaldo can penetrate, and Carlos can in a different way, so I'm happy with that and I don't think there's a problem at all.

"Good players with the ability they have got will soon gel."

Rooney himself expressed his happiness at playing alongside Tevez even if his role as United's most forward striker is a new one.

The England striker said: "I've enjoyed playing with Carlos for the last two games - obviously when I play with him it's a different role for me.

"I have to let him be the link between the midfield and the forwards, which of course I'm happy to do.

"He's played well and I think he's getting better each game.

"Towards the end of the last season I played in that same role and got a few goals and I'm happy to keep doing that."

Meanwhile Ferguson does not envisage anything like the same scenes as Roma's last visit in April when they were torn apart by a rampaging United side who went through to the semi-finals.

The United manager said: "I think there's a big motivation on Roma's part - I have seen some of the Italian papers and they are all about revenge.

"I can see it's a big occasion for them after the defeat they suffered last year. They will want to turn that scoreline around.

"But it was a one-off - it won't happen again. European football is just not that way nowadays, and it will be a very difficult game for us, Roma are playing very well at the moment."

Rooney also anticipates a different contest - and said had he been a Roma player he would be relishing the task of putting the record straight.

"If I was them as soon as I had seen draw I'd have been delighted to have the opportunity to try to make it right so soon after," he said. "I would be sitting here rubbing my hands.

"I'm sure they will be fired up more than ever after last season's result so we will have to be aware of that."

Defenders Wes Brown and Nemanja Vidic are doubts after the pair picked up knocks at Birmingham - John O'Shea and Gerard Pique will step in if they fail fitness tests - but Owen Hargreaves trained this morning and is in line to make his European debut for United.

Ferguson admitted he might be tempted to bring the former Bayern Munich midfielder straight back into the fray despite his lack of match practice.

He said: "Hargreaves is a possibility but to be honest I would have liked for him to have had some more football for such an important game.

"European football is a different level for speed and tactics."

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