Vidic Doubtful For Blues

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that Nemanja Vidic is a major doubt for Saturday's Premier League showdown at Chelsea.The Serbian defender missed Wednesday night's draw in Barcelona with a stomach bug and, although he is on the road to recovery, Sir Alex is not hopeful of having Vidic available at Stamford Bridge."I think he’s doubtful, but we’ll do our best," the United manager told Sky Sports."He’s back at the hotel, he’s taking plenty of fluids, he had a bit of soup this afternoon for the first time in 36 hours – that’s promising, I suppose.Let’s hope we can get him there on Saturday morning – we’ve only got 72 hours to do that, but he’ll want to have a go. He’ll be desperate to play and if we do get him, it’ll be a bonus to us."Wes Brown deputised in central defence against the Catalans, with Owen Hargreaves excelling as a makeshift right-back.With Gerard Pique, John O'Shea, Gary Neville and Mikael Silvestre all fit, however, Sir Alex has no shortage of options if he opts to shuffle his pack.

Barcelona 0-0 ManUnited

Cristiano Ronaldo missed a second-minute penalty as United held Barcelona to a goalless draw in Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final, first leg.The Portuguese winger blazed wide from 12 yards after Gabriel Milito had been penalised for handball, while Michael Carrick smashed a shot into the side netting with the Reds’ best second-half opening.Samuel Eto’o wasted Barca’s best opportunity as a superb defensive display from Sir Alex Ferguson’s side neutralised the Catalans’ potent attack.The prudent nature of the first leg could well have been blown out of the water as early as the second minute, however, had Ronaldo converted a golden opportunity from the penalty spot.From a Wayne Rooney corner, Milito blocked Ronaldo’s diving header with his hands, and referee Massimo Busacca immediately awarded the spot kick.After lengthy protests from the home side, the Portuguese winger placed the ball on the spot, adopted his trademark stance, sidled up and sidefooted his effort off target.A huge let off for Barca, and a missed opportunity for United. Despite that glorious early opening, the game failed to descend into the anticipated slugfest where both sides would wantonly deploy their rich attacking arsenals.With the stakes so high, the two teams opted instead to remain at arm’s length. Barca cagily probed.

Boss Ready To Spend

United may be embroiled in a fascinating climax to the current campaign, but Sir Alex Ferguson is already planning to strengthen his squad for next season.The United manager has assembled a squad of sufficient strength in depth to challenge for the Premier League and Champions League this term, but he has earmarked areas which need further reinforcements."I don't need to spend, but I will," Sir Alex is quoted as saying in the News of the World. "I think there is an area where we are short and we can stock up on that a bit."It is not easy getting the best players here. But we have to because when you have a lot of quality in your squad you have to be absolutely correct on who you bring in."A player has a chance to come to a club like United and he would say 'that's my challenge to be in the team.' That's what good players do."Sir Alex brought in Owen Hargreaves, Carlos Tevez, Anderson and Nani last summer and, after the quartet's unquestionable success this season, the Scot admits he will have one eye on the future when he re-enters the transfer market."I don't think I will bring in as many as last season and if we buy players it will probably be young ones," he said. "This year Tevez, Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson have been really fantastic for us. Those four players have made a big contribution to our season."

Sir Alex and Queiroz Charged

Reds boss Sir Alex Ferguson and his assistant, Carlos Queiroz, have been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association. The charges relate to comments made after United's 1-0 FA Cup defeat to Portsmouth at Old Trafford last month. United were aggrieved that referee Martin Atkinson did not award a penalty for what the Reds saw as a clear foul on Cristiano Ronaldo by Sylvain Distin. There were further fouls on Ronaldo that the United boss and his no.2 felt were not dealt with sufficiently by the officials. A statement on the FA's website said: "Ferguson's charge concerns comments about referee Martin Atkinson and PGMO General Manager Keith Hackett. Queiroz's charge relates to comments about referee Martin Atkinson." Sir Alex and Queiroz now have until 17 April to respond to the disciplinary charges.

Ronny Does The Double

Cristiano Ronaldo has been voted ManUtd.com's Player of the Month for March and also picked up the Man of the Match award against AS Roma.
The 23-year-old winger was in sparkling form once again last month, scoring six goals in six starts. But he was up against stiff competition for the official website's monthly accolade. Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez have all been consistently good in recent weeks.
Tevez ran Ronaldo closest for the title. The striker scored only once in March (against Aston Villa), but his energy and selfless hard-working attitude have endeared him to Reds supporters. However, it was Ronaldo who ran away with the result, notching a colossal 48% of the vote.
And the Portuguese winger began April exactly where he left off in March. Ronaldo put the Reds in front against Roma on Tuesday just before half-time with a towering, powerful header. His performance, as a lone striker for much of the match, has given United an excellent chance of making the semi finals for a second year running.

Manchester United vs AS Roma 3D Analysis