Fergie facing tough Evans decision

Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted he faces a major selection dilemma ahead of Manchester United's trip to Chelsea on Sunday.

With Nemanja Vidic suspended following his red card at Liverpool on Saturday, Ferguson has a vacancy to fill in central defence.

Normally, the decision would be quite easy; simply shift Wes Brown from right-back, allowing Gary Neville to take up the position he has held for so long with club and country.

However, Jonny Evans made his own forceful claim for inclusion with a mature performance against Villarreal on Wednesday night, which he almost capped with a late winner when he struck a post seven minutes from time.

And Ferguson accepts he now has some thinking to do.

"I have a decision to make on Sunday," he said. "I need to work out whether I go with Evans' ability but lack of experience or whether I opt for Wes' experience and Gary at full-back.

"Gary was only playing his second competitive match last night but he did very well.

"That will bring him on if I decide to play him on Sunday but Evans was excellent as well."

The 20-year-old was making his fourth appearance for the Red Devils, although he has made 33 for Sunderland and won 11 caps for Northern Ireland.

And while the odds are that Ferguson will go for experience at Stamford Bridge, considering the importance of not losing and the involvement of Didier Drogba, the Belfast-born youngster cannot be excluded for long on the form he showed against the Spaniards at Old Trafford.

"Jonny was the big plus," said Ferguson.

"For a young man of 20, he shows great maturity in his game.

"He reads the game well, which is a fantastic asset to have at such a young age.

"He is commanding in the air and a good user of the ball and that gives me confidence that he could step right into the first team with no worries."

In contrast, there were signs of rustiness in Neville's game, particularly in his crossing, although that is only to be expected in his first competitive start since breaking his ankle against Bolton in March 2007.

After so long on the sidelines, the 33-year-old is eager to be involved again even if he accepts the need to be patient as he strives for top form.

"I just need games," he said. "Having been out for so long I need a run in the side. But it is difficult to get that at the moment because Wes Brown has performed so well and deserves to play.

"It is just a case of remaining patient, keeping fit and training well every day.

"I have made steady progress and when you look at the programme of matches we have coming up I am sure there will be enough games for everyone."

Ferguson expects Brown to be 100% fit at the weekend after leaving him out with a minor niggle last night.

There is a far bigger question mark over Dimitar Berbatov, who suffered a knee injury in the defeat at Liverpool on Saturday.

The A£30million Bulgaria forward's absence would be a body blow, particularly as Wayne Rooney has yet to score on United duty this season and turned in another below-par performance against Villarreal.

Ferguson could also suffer a personal hiccup if the Football Association decide to take issue with his comments relating to Keith Hackett's involvement in the decision to overturn the red card John Terry received at Manchester City.

In his position as general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Board, Hackett has strenuously denied Ferguson's allegation that he forcing Mark Halsey to change his report into the incident.

Ferguson privately maintains there was contact between the pair but it seems certain he will be asked to explain his comments.

It is a distraction the Scot could do without as he contemplates a contest where a repetition of their 'Conference-style' defending would almost certainly leave them nine points adrift of Luiz Felipe Scolari's men.

"It is always a big game when the top sides meet. That is why we were so disappointed at Liverpool," said Ferguson. "We won't be giving goals away like we did on Saturday, I am sure of that."

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Lampard: Blues have no Ron fears

Frank Lampard is confident of nailing a nine-point lead over Manchester United this weekend - and does not fear Cristiano Ronaldo's return.

England midfielder Lampard would rather face United at full strength at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with morale high this week after seven goals in the victories over Manchester City and Bordeaux.

Ronaldo, the PFA Player of the Year after inspiring United's double last season, is edging back from ankle surgery, but Lampard said: "I don't know what the situation is with him and I'm not too concerned really.

"He's probably the best player in the world, having done what he did last season, you can't take that away from him. If they put him back for our game then we'll have to deal with that.

"We're good enough to deal with Manchester United at their strongest, we shouldn't want them weakened. If they are strong they are strong and we still want to beat them."

Boss Luiz Felipe Scolari will also have John Terry available after the Football Association overturned his red card at City, a decision that angered United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

Chelsea are currently six points ahead of United in the Premier League, with the title tending to go to the team with the best start in recent seasons.

Lampard feels the difference this season is that there could be other challengers.

He said: "In those days it was us versus them for the league. This year you look at it and Liverpool look stronger and could be challenging, Arsenal as well. It's not a case of us and Manchester United.

"We're confident anyway. It's a game that everyone gets up for regardless of the circumstances.

"It's nice to go into with a few goals in the last couple of games we've played. We've got a few days to recover and we'll certainly beready."

Michael Ballack is desperate to be fit for the clash on Sunday after making his comeback from his foot injury against Bordeaux.

He trained only once before coming off the bench against the French runners-up, and the Germany skipper admitted: "Maybe it is a bit early for me, I don't know what the coach thinks. I need more training sessions."

Ballack scored twice in the fixture last season and believes the result this weekend could shape the season.

He said: "It's a big chance for us to make a gap. We can be clear by six points, even though they have played a game less.

"It's never easy when you are always behind and you have to close the gap from nine to six points, and you are playing a day after your rivals. We dealt with that and maybe we can reverse it this season."

Lampard's goal against Bordeaux moved him alongside Didier Drogba as Chelsea's leading European goalscorer with 18, and he added: "I know that we play more European games than in the old days but I'm very proud of the record."