In Sunday’s much-anticipated northwest derby, Liverpool might look to capitalize on Manchester United’s defensive struggles by giving record signing Andy Carroll the chance to make his debut.
Despite suffering two losses in their last four matches, United maintains a four-point lead in the Barclays Premier League and heads into the match at Anfield short on central defenders, missing Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, and Jonny Evans.
Carroll, who switched to Liverpool for $56 million from Newcastle on January 31, has been sidelined due to a thigh injury, but the upcoming game could serve as an ideal opportunity for the England striker’s first appearance.
“Fergie (United manager Alex Ferguson) would be eager to know whether he will be part of Sunday’s game,” Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish stated.
“We have consistently expressed our delight with his progress and contributions. Everything he has done has been encouraging.”
The initial stumble of United’s season aligns with the unavailability of essential defensive players.
Ferdinand and Evans have been out due to injury for the past few weeks, and Gary Neville announced his retirement last month.
Additionally, Rafael, another right-back, has been unavailable due to a combination of injuries and suspensions.
To complicate things further for this weekend’s match, Vidic will serve a suspension following a red card in the 2-1 defeat against Chelsea on Tuesday, while left-back Patrice Evra is a doubt due to injury.
If Carroll is selected to partner up front with Luis Suarez, another recent Liverpool acquisition, a central-defensive pairing of the infrequently-used Wes Brown and the inexperienced Chris Smalling might face challenges.
“Certainly, everybody has been discussing the Carroll-Suarez (partnership) since we brought them both in during the January window, and it will be exciting to see them as a duo in the future,” remarked Liverpool assistant manager Steve Clarke.
by Buford Balony
