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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson held his weekly press conference ahead of tomorrow's Premier League clash away to Aston Villa and during it, he revealed that Nani is out for the tie and also that Jonny Evans is a doubt. Here's what the boss had to say:
"We're hoping Evans will be okay for Saturday. He's a doubt, although not a serious one. Nani is out with a tight hamstring and that will be around 10 days but he should be okay. It's not torn, just tight."
- Ferguson | Source: ManUtd.com
Both Evans and Nani had to be substituted off on Wednesday during United's UEFA Champions League fixture at Portuguese side Braga due to what assistant manager Mike Phelan described as precautionary reasons at the time. If Evans can't go, expect Chris Smalling to partner Rio Ferdinand in central-defense at Villa Park:
"We're monitoring the situation with Jonny. If he doesn't make it then Chris will have to play. It's asking a lot for him to play Wednesday and then Saturday [when he's just come back]. The great thing is that he's back and there are no issues with him at all. He did very well on Wednesday - we were pleased with that."
- Ferguson
United should be fine without Nani in the short-term and it's Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young expected to feature at the weekend on the flanks anyway. Portugal do have a friendly next Wednesday at Gabon but judging by Fergie's time frame, it's reasonable to expect the winger to sit that one out. Evans is a regular as well for Northern Ireland and they have a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday versus Azerbaijan. It's uncertain if the defender will feature for his country or not. Nemanja Vidic, Phil Jones, and Shinji Kagawa are the other United players out for tomorrow's match.
Fergie also had to this to say about Villa and United's recent trips to Villa Park:
"Although we have a great record at Villa Park we never take them for granted. We've always had to perform there. It's been a good ground for us as a team, though, and I've always enjoyed it. It's one of the old traditional grounds. There's always a good atmosphere and the support is always fantastic. Hopefully we can keep the momentum going as it's got us into a good position."
- Ferguson