While Manchester United defender Wes Brown admits to being disappointed on missing out on Fabio Capello’s provisional 30 man England World Cup squad, team mate Gary Neville was under no illusions of how tough it would be after not being part of the squad for a year.
Despite United boss Sir Alex Ferguson pushing for Neville’s international recall, Capello chose to ignore him, opting instead for Liverpool’s Glen Johnson as the only specialist right back.
“It never rains but it pours” so the old saying goes. Manchester has long been renowned for being a wet old town due to the large amount of rain that it gets but when it comes to football on the red side of the City, it has been pouring down this season – injuries that is!
The abnormally large number of defensive injuries which gave Sir Alex Ferguson so many headaches throughout the season are at long last showing signs of abating with utility man John O’Shea set for a return to the Manchester United line-up far quicker than expected.
O’Shea picked up what initially appeared to be a dead leg during the Republic of Ireland‘s heartbreaking World Cup defeat to France. However, it proved to be a blood clot on his thigh which medical staff had found difficult to deal with effectively.
