Fergie takes blame
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted the club are to blame for star striker Ruud van Nistelrooy´s hernia injury.
Dutch front man van Nistelrooy has been ruled out for at least a month of the new season after being told he will need surgery to correct a hernia complaint.
Ferguson feels the injury was down to the Dutchman being put through a rigorous training programme in a bid to get him fit for the UEFA Champions League qualifier with Dinamo Bucharest.
Van Nistelrooy was given extra time off following Euro 2004, so was behind his team-mates in terms of fitness when he returned to training.
With qualification for Europe´s premier club competition vital for The Red Devils, Ferguson was eager to have his ace marksman at the peak of his powers for the trip to Romania.
However, van Nistelrooy broke down and has been forced to go under the surgeon´s knife, and Ferguson is ready to shoulder responsibility for the injury.
" We have to hold our hands up with that one in the sense that because of the Champions League game qualifying stage we have had to rush players back which we wouldn´t normally have done," said the wily Scot.
" It is such an important game for us that we wanted Ruud and the others back quickly.
" We have to think about our own side of it because he only had seven days´ preparation before playing the game on Tuesday and that is not enough."