Gattuso central to Milan's cause

Daniel Tayloron Alex Ferguson's long-held admiration for the midfield duo Manchester United face tonight, the tigerish Gennaro Gattuso and playmaker Andrea Pirlo.

In different circumstances the man known as Ringhio - "Growl" or "Snarler" - could have been lining up for Manchester United in tonight's Champions League semi-final. Alex Ferguson tried to sign Gennaro Gattuso last summer to fill what is known at Old Trafford as "the Roy Keane role" but Milan were understandably reluctant to break up their Michelin-star midfield.

Ferguson has subsequently turned to Owen Hargreaves and has reported to colleagues a deal is all but guaranteed, provided a fee can be agreed with Bayern Munich at the end of the season. In which case United fans should look closely at the double act in the centre of Milan's midfield this evening because Ferguson, a huge admirer of the rossoneri and a frequent visitor to the San Siro, has made it the model for his own team's future. For Gattuso, read Hargreaves; for Andrea Pirlo, read Michael Carrick.

Ferguson spoke yesterday about his long-held admiration for Gattuso - "he is a player we have always admired," said the United manager - and he eulogised about Pirlo's range of passing, describing the Milan playmaker as "a fantastic footballer".

His aim is for Carrick and Hargreaves to exert the same influence at Old Trafford once United are no longer able to rely on Paul Scholes, who is 33 in November. Hargreaves will be expected to patrol the area between defence and midfield, breaking up opposition attacks and laying the foundations for United's attacks, whereas Ferguson intends to place greater emphasis on Carrick, making him the focal point of the team a la Pirlo.

Whether the two 25-year-olds can combine as successfully as Gattuso and Pirlo can be judged only in time and, to use one of Ferguson's phrases, it is a "big ask". Hargreaves is a similar player to Gattuso, strong in the tackle and quick to the ball, with a perceptive mind. Carrick, however, will need to continue his already significant improvement if Ferguson's planning is to bear fruit.

Pirlo, who will be 28 next month, plays the role for Milan that Juan Sebastian Veron once enjoyed with the Argentina national team, whereby the strategy is focused entirely on his ability to dictate play and control the game's tempo, and Carrick is still a long way behind in terms of stature and development. Kaka, the brilliant Brazilian seen by many as Cristiano Ronaldo's main rival to be the best player in the world, may be the headline grabber but the coach, Carlo Ancelotti, places more responsibility on Pirlo's shoulders.

He takes almost every corner and every free-kick. His passing is forward, both in terms of geography and thinking, and he has become as influential for his national team as his club side. When Pirlo was named man of the match in last year's World Cup final it was his third such award of the tournament. He returned from Germany with the Bronze Ball after being voted the third best player of the tournament behind Fabio Cannavaro and Zinedine Zidane.

Carrick demonstrated in the 7-1 rout of Roma in the quarter-finals that he is now authoritative enough to take a match by the scruff of its neck and it is that level of performance that will be needed on a night when Ferguson is missing so many players through injury. Carrick, says Ferguson, has "come into his own" since the turn of the year, displaying some exquisite passing, an appreciation of space and an eye for goal that seemed beyond him at his previous clubs.

However, Milan's spies inside Old Trafford on Saturday, when United put in their least impressive Premiership performance of the season in the 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough, will have noted Carrick's poor delivery from set-pieces and the way his standards dropped just at the point of the game when Ferguson needed him to rise to the occasion. Twice in the second half United won a corner in front of the section where the Middlesbrough fans were seated. Twice Carrick failed to clear the first defender. As for whether he can match a player of Pirlo's gifts, the judging begins this evening.

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