MANCHESTER: Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez is one of three injured players who will miss Sunday’s English season curtain-raiser against Manchester City, manager Alex Ferguson said on Friday.
The Mexican, who had a dream debut season last term as his 13 Premier League goals helped United win a record 19th title, is still recovering from concussion suffered on the club’s pre-season tour of the United States.
Also sidelined for the Community Shield match at Wembley are midfielder Michael Carrick, who has a tight Achilles, and defender Rafael who picked up a knock in last weekend’s friendly against Barcelona.
Hernandez is expected to be fit by the end of August, ruling him out of the start of the league season including next Sunday’s opener at West Bromwich Albion.
“Considering he had a concussion some years ago, we’re playing it safe,” Ferguson told a news conference.
Sunday’s derby pits the league champions against the FA Cup winners.
The game will be a test for United with the squad recovering from its recent preseason tour of the United States and with some players on international duty, but the stakes are always high when the Manchester rivals meet.
“You couldn’t get better motivation to start the season with a bang,” United striker Wayne Rooney told Four Four Two magazine. “I hadn’t even thought about it until I turned on the TV and someone was talking about potentially the best Community Shield ever. Playing City is the best way to start.”
City will struggle
without Tevez: Nani
Portuguese striker Nani has warned Manchester City that without Carlos Tevez, they will struggle to make their presence felt in the Community Shield.
The Sun quoted Nani, 24, as saying: “I played with Carlos and he is an important player for any club. I don’t know if he will stay at City but, if he does go, it will be a big problem for Mancini because of the way that he plays and his experience.”
“The Community Shield is the first official title of the season and we want to win. And facing City makes the match more exciting. It’s also our first derby of the season, so to lift the trophy would raise our morale and inflict pain on our rivals,” he added.
United fans are keen to see Nani in the flesh again. He has long fluctuated between world-beater and wasted talent.
The Portuguese international expects to grace Wembley again on Sunday after playing a starring role in United’s 2-1 friendly win over Barca in Washington last weekend. (Agencies)