Sir Alex Ferguson targets 12th FA Cup win

Manchester United face West Ham United in the next round of FA Cup, and Sir Alex Ferguson is confident of going past the Hammers and into the next round. The last time a Manchester United player lifted the FA Cup was in 2004, and after a 2-2 tie in the first leg, United host West Ham on Thursday.

“We want to try and have a go at this FA Cup,” Ferguson told MUTV. “We haven’t had a run for a long time, two or three years, and we have had some bad draws.

“We’re at home tonight and we have got to take advantage of that. If we get through, we have got another home tie so there’s a big incentive for the club to make sure we get through.”

United have a lot of injury blows ahead of their match. Captain Nemanja Vidic is out due to a concussion and will miss the game. Jonny Evans is still recovering from hamstring strain, while Ashley Young is also ruled out by a knee injury.

When asked about the injury factor, Ferguson said, “Young has got a dull knock, a little bit of a strain on the knee, but it’s nothing serious, I think he’ll be back next week. Maybe not for Tottenham on Sunday but, the week after, he should be okay.”

On the brighter side, Wayne Rooney and Nani returned to training after recovering from their injuries. Rooney has been out due to a knee injury since Christmas Day, while Nani has been out for over two months.

“Wayne coming back is good news,” Ferguson said. “He’s been training for a week and looking good. Nani came back from his spell abroad and is really looking very good.”

Let’s take a look at some of the talking points for the upcoming tie:

- Joe Cole was a major threat from the left flank. Ferguson can choose between Chris Smalling, Phil Jones or Rafael at right-back. Whoever starts, communication and co-ordination is essential to stop the attacks.

- Wayne Rooney will definitely be the player to watch. He has returned to fitness and can start in Wednesday’s match, so it will be interesting to see if he can initiate attacks and be a threat.

- Patrice Evra had openly spoken about a treble push from United. However, the Red Devils struggled to cling on their lead in their victory over Liverpool and still lack a solid defence.

Let’s see what happens. This is going to be a brilliant match.