Manchester United's record £30 million signing Rio Ferdinand is facing a battle against the clock if he is to make his Premiership debut for the club at Chelsea tomorrow night.
Manager Alex Ferguson, desperate not to risk his latest acquisition until he is 100 per cent, has hinted that he may have to wait a little longer to taste league action, meaning another Premiership start for Waterford’s John O’Shea.
O'Shea, who has deputised most ably for the England international so far, will have to cope with the menace of Chelsea's lethal Dutchman Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink if he does get the nod once again.
And despite the threat posed by the Chelsea attack, Ferguson remains confident heading into a fixture which has proved fruitful over the years.
"We have a fantastic record there," said Ferguson. "The strange situation regarding this fixture is that their record at Old Trafford is fantastic over the years, and ours is equally as good down at Stamford Bridge.
"You can assess that in many ways. I've looked at the fixtures over the years - and I've been here 15 years, so I've a fair input into it - and it's not just three or four years this has been going on, it's gone on for 30 or 40 years.
"In fact, I think Chelsea's record is something like four losses in 47 years at Old Trafford, which is quite amazing, and down at Stamford Bridge, we're maybe not as good as that, but it's quite as good as any record you could have away from home.
"It's certainly without doubt our most successful away fixture."
Keeper Fabien Barthez, who is recovering from a hip injury, is another who is likely to miss out tomorrow night, although United are hopeful of having him back in place for Tuesday, with Northern Ireland’s Roy Carroll continuing to deputise in the meantime.