Carrick to continue defensive role

SOCCER:MANCHESTER UNITED will ask Michael Carrick to continue in a defensive role to solve one of the worst injury crises of Alex Ferguson's 23-year reign at Old Trafford. Carrick came on to replace Gary Neville at centre-back in Saturday's 4-0 victory against West Ham at Upton Park, despite never having previously played in the position. He is now likely to partner Nemanja Vidic tomorrow night against Wolfsburg in the Champions League.

Ferguson expects Vidic to have recovered from a bout of flu but will be without a number of defenders including Rio Ferdinand, Jonny Evans, Republic of Ireland international John O’Shea, Neville, who pulled up with a groin injury, Rafael da Silva and Wes Brown, who limped off in the dying minutes.

Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, is “devastated” at the news that Tomas Rosicky could be out for a month with a groin injury. Wenger had to withdraw the Czech Republic midfielder halfway through his side’s 2-0 win over Stoke on Saturday. The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder spent 18 months out of the side before making his comeback from a series of hamstring and knee injuries against Manchester City in September.

The Arsenal manager has used Rosicky sparingly since his return but is now facing up to the possibility he could be without the player for up to a month. “He’s devastated and I am as well,” said Wenger, whose side have suffered in the absence of the forward Robin van Persie. “Before the match I told myself ‘he has played the whole game on Wednesday, should I take the gamble or not as it was such an important game?’ But by half-time he was struggling.”

Wenger also had to do without the Croatia striker Eduardo da Silva for 18 months after he broke his leg in a tackle by Birmingham’s Martin Taylor in 2008. The 26-year-old took time to regain his full fitness following the injury and Wenger believes Rosicky is having the same problem.

“It’s a vicious circle when you have been out for a long time. Eduardo had not played for 18 months, Tomas has not played for 18 months,” said Wenger. “When you come back, for one or two games your body has to get used to producing the energy levels again and it’s difficult. Nobody masters that.”

Rafa Benitez has admitted that Liverpool have opened talks with Javier Mascherano about extending his contract. The midfielder has been strongly linked with a move away from Anfield for some months, with Barcelona said to be the most likely destination.

Liverpool have continually denied that the Argentina international is for sale, particularly as the reports came so soon after the club sold influential midfielder Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid in the summer.

Mascherano, who has admitted to finding it hard to settle on Merseyside in the past, appears to have turned the corner and discussions are under way. “We were talking with him and his agent a month ago about our idea and his idea,” Benitez said.

“Everyone can see he’s doing really well and has come back to his best. We were really pleased to talk to him to make progress.

Meanwhile, Tony Pulis was involved in a row with James Beattie in the dressingroom after Saturday’s defeat at Arsenal which is understood to have led to the Stoke City manager and former England striker exchanging blows before a member of the Premier League club’s backroom staff intervened. The alleged argument is believed to have started after Pulis ordered the players to report for training yesterday, prompting Beattie to object because they were due to go out on Saturday night for their Christmas party.

Pulis, who had just seen Stoke lose 2-0 to Arsene Wenger’s side, is said to have reacted furiously to Beattie’s response and, after squaring up to the 31-year-old in the visitors’ dressingroom, it is alleged the pair clashed and punches were thrown. One source claimed that the fracas ended only when the club’s masseur dragged Pulis away from his player.

This term Beattie has failed to score in 14 of his 15 appearances. He has started on the substitutes’ bench in Stoke’s last two matches and Saturday’s incident at the Emirates will raise doubts about his long-term future at the club. Stoke did not respond to queries about the incident last night.