Two seasons ago, the Red Devils looked well set for a repeat of their 1999 Treble-winning campaign only for injuries to strike at just the wrong time, leaving Sir Alex Ferguson with a squad so exhausted it was unable to cope with the demands.

Now Ferguson must privately fear the same scenario is unfolding again.

The United manager already knows he will be without five front-line defenders for Saturday’s FA Cup tie with Tottenham with the possibility of a sixth – Gary Neville – missing out as well.

It means Darren Fletcher is almost certain to be asked to fill the right-back berth at the weekend, with Rafael’s twin brother Fabio possibly in line for a senior debut too should Neville fail to make it.

Ferguson must also keep an element of freshness about his squad for Tuesday’s Premier League trip to basement boys West Brom.

It is hardly the ideal backdrop to a knockout fixture, especially as Spurs have done far better in cup combat this term than they have in the weekly grind of their league campaign.

But defender John O’Shea insists as long as the newly-crowned world champions have the chance of winning all four trophies, they will be going for it.

“We are going for all four,” said the Republic of Ireland international.

“It is something you hope for at the start of the season. There is confidence that these four trophies are all up for grabs.

“And when you have the players and belief we have, why not?

“Fingers crossed when the Champions League starts up again we will have a fully-fit squad. That is when we will start to dream about those sorts of things.

“For the moment we will just look at each game individually but it is going well for us so far.”

By the time United tackle Inter Milan at the San Siro on February 25, they should have their outstanding Premier League fixture with Fulham out of the way, although another – against Portsmouth on February 28 – must now be rearranged as a result of Tuesday night’s triumph.

Of more immediate concern is what damage United sustained reaching the Carling Cup final with last night’s 4-2 win over Derby. Anderson is due to discover tomorrow the extent of an ankle injury that saw him carried off after the final whistle.

The Brazilian was in pain when he was dispatched to hospital but it will require a further X-ray to establish the precise cause, although ligament damage is suspected.

Having suffered so badly a couple of years ago, Ferguson increased his squad strength and O’Shea is confident they will survive.

“Fingers crossed we will be okay for Saturday,” he said.

“The thing is players know if they are not fit other lads can come in, do well and keep their positions.

“That should be an incentive for people to get up off the treatment table and get playing.

“We are all going to be needed over the next few weeks.”

Patrice Evra’s foot injury, following on separate suspensions that ruled him out for five games, have given O’Shea an extended run in the side.

A veteran of well over 300 senior appearances for the Old Trafford outfit, O’Shea was scoring his 13th United goal when he slotted home the second in the win over Derby.

It was the first time he had found the net since an effort at Everton in April 2007 proved pivotal in the title race.

“I thought I was offside,” admitted O’Shea, even if TV replays proved otherwise.

“But the flag never came so I just put it in.

“It is a while since I scored but I had a feeling it was going to come because I have been getting closer in recent games.”

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Talking to the Abendzeitung in Munich, the Dutch captain explained that he felt that playing Barca over two legs would be a much more difficult prospect than meeting them in a one-off match on neutral territory.

“Playing Barcelona in the Nou Camp is the hardest task there is.  When Barca play at home, they are simply awesome. It’s a bit different away from home,” he explained.

“But in a single game on a neutral ground we could beat them. So I’d rather play them in the final than the knock-out stage,” he added.

Bayern are back in Europe’s elite competition after their participation in the Uefa Cup last season and van Bommel is delighted the Bavarians are back where they belong.

“There is nothing bigger you can achieve in club football than winning the Champions League. There is nothing better.

“We need to show form and have luck with the draw if we make it through the next round against Sporting Lisbon.”

Mathew Burt, Goal.com