English, European, and now World Champions Manchester United surprised
many by fielding a relatively strong line-up in both the
semi-final and final of the FIFA Club World Cup.
The
disadvantage of Sir Alex Ferguson offering his first-teamers lengthy
run-outs in Japan was that they might return to England fatigued and
jet-lagged. The wily Scot though is adamant that this is not the case
as today he confirmed on the club's official website that there are no
injuries to report, and his squad are fit and fresh.
"We've no injury worries," Ferguson confirmed. "Everyone has come through the trip well.
"We
just hope we've got enough time to prepare for Friday's game. They had
yesterday off and looked quite fresh in training today."
United
face Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Friday, and Sir Alex has
ordered his players to turn up and train on Christmas day as part of
their pre-match preparations.
"We're in tomorrow, training, then
we go down at night to Stoke," he revealed. "We’re training in the
morning, and we’re back in plenty of time to enjoy the family
gatherings.
"Of course, the Portuguese and some of the European
players celebrate it the previous night, it’s a different culture. So
you’re not hindered."