FOUR Manchester United nearly men with so much to prove

Sir Alex Ferguson's faith in his squad is unflinching, but is he asking too much of of his second strng? John O'Shea, Darren Fletcher, Ji-Sung Park and Nani. Four players who have, at various times, caused groans to echo around Old Trafford. Not so long ago, when Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs were still in their pomp, these were the players Sir Alex Ferguson had filed under 'Carling Cup, dead European ties and home league fixtures only'. Not any more. As the years have advanced and the last remaining 'fledglings' have grown old, so those who were once merely understudies to the United glitterati are now themselves trusted in leading roles. The question they have yet to answer convincingly is whether they are up to the job - especially in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo. Truth be told, United struggled in their league fixtures against the other established members of the Top Four last season, winning only once, against a dispirited and disjointed Chelsea at Old Trafford. The foundation of their title success was in not dropping points against teams in the bottom half. No side bullies weak opposition quite as efficiently as United.