Fergie: Van Persie fine

Robin van Persie should be fit to face Real Madrid after being injured in Manchester United's 2-0 win over QPR.



Sir Alex Ferguson is confident Robin van Persie will be fit to face Real Madrid after the Manchester United striker picked up an injury in the 2-0 win over QPR.



Van Persie hurt his hip after colliding with a camera in the build-up to United's first goal and he was eventually replaced six minutes before half-time by Danny Welbeck.

The Premier League's top scorer will be assessed in the next few days, but Ferguson expects the Dutchman to be available for the second leg of the UEFA Champions League tie against Real on 5 March.

"He collided into a camera which was dug out of a piece of ground, he collided into the base of it and that's given him a sore hip," Ferguson told Sky Sports.

"I imagine it will be tender and sore for a few days, but hopefully he'll be alright, particularly for the Real game."

The victory at Loftus Road was secured by a stunning goal from Rafael and a late finish from the evergreen Ryan Giggs, and opened up a 15-point gap to reigning champions Manchester City.

Ferguson added: "We're in a better position today than we were yesterday. It's one game less and it's really important that the only way we approach it is by winning the next game and then try winning the next game.



"It was a lively pitch, a tight ground and it was a game more about determination and concentration, particularly the defending part, which we did very well.

"It was a little scrappy at times, but we got a fantastic goal to set us up to make us hard to beat. It was a great strike from Rafael and he has made a great contribution this season."

RVP: United have slight edge

Robin van Persie was disappointed not to score but feels Manchester United have the edge after their 1-1 draw in Madrid.

Danny Welbeck netted the opener in United's clash with Real Madrid in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League and, although Cristiano Ronaldo equalised, they were good value for the draw.

"It's a good result. There were chances for both sides and it was a great game to watch," Van Persie told Sky Sports.

"We had a couple of good chances but if you had said before the game we would draw 1-1 then most of us would have taken it."

Three of those chances fell to Van Persie after the break but he saw the first cannon off the bar, before scuffing a second shot and then seeing Diego Lopez save a third effort in stoppage time.

"I had three in the second half," he admitted. "Especially the one just after I hit the bar; that was a great chance. I should have stuck that in. I just slightly mis-hit it. It could've gone in but it didn't.

"The chance in the dying seconds, the keeper made a really good save because I was counting on that one to go in."



Asked if the result gives United the advantage, Van Persie said: "Slightly. But at this level I don't think these kinds of teams really care whether they are home or away.

"We don't really care and they don't really care. It's just half-time now and we'll be ready for the second half."

Sergio Ramos aims to stop Van Persie

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has insisted that the Spanish giants must be aware of Manchester United's in-form striker Robin van Persie.

The Dutchman is likely to start against Los Blancos in the first leg of the Champions League round-of-16 clash at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.



"Van Persie is on very, very good form," The Guardian quotes Ramos as saying. "We hadn't seen him this good for years. He's quick, strikes the ball well, he's a constant nuisance.



"[Wayne] Rooney's different. He's hard-work, heavy going. He enjoys the physical challenge. I prefer that, to be honest. I like that defender versus striker battle, that challenge."



Meanwhile, former United defender Gary Neville believes that the Red Devils will have to double up on Cristiano Ronaldo in order to stop him from controlling the game.

Fergie: No one-man team

Sir Alex Ferguson has rejected claims that Manchester United are turning into a one-man team.



Much has been made of Robin van Persie's impact since his arrival at Old Trafford last summer, but Ferguson insists there is more to his team than the in-form Dutch striker.

Van Persie has scored 10 goals in his last 10 appearances and earned warm praise from his manager, but Ferguson is anxious to point out that he is not their only threat.

"I don't go along with the idea we have become a one-man team," Ferguson told United Review.

"There was a time in our history when one man did carry us for a while. Eric Cantona kept us in contention with his goals when a few others were off the boil.

"But things are quite different now. Javier Hernandez has weighed in with 12 goals while Wayne Rooney is currently on nine.

"Two defenders, Johnny Evans and Patrice Evra, have chipped in with eight between them so it doesn't stand up to see us as a one-man band overly dependent on van Persie, brilliant as he has been at both making and taking goals.

"He is absolutely relishing his new challenge. He is the right player, at the right club, at the right time.



"He has a winning mentality, but as he points out, it is one that goes right through the squad and one that will hopefully see us push on in both league and the cups and successfully navigate what is a busy and challenging period."


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