Tevez to stake United claim in League Cup semis

AGENCIES
Posted on 2009-01-07
DERBY- Carlos Tevez will be given another chance to prove he deserves a long-term deal at Manchester United as Sir Alex Ferguson prepares to throw him back into action in a League Cup semi-final.
Tevez will return for United in Wednesday’s first leg against Derby County and is on a mission to show Ferguson he has a future at Old Trafford.
The Argentina forward’s contract situation with the Premier League champions is still shrouded in uncertainty, with his current deal due to run out after the end of this season.
But Tevez is expected to feature at Pride Park as English, European and world champions United eye yet another trophy.
He has missed the last two games, against Middlesbrough and Southampton, following Ferguson’s decision to give him permission to return home for personal reasons.
The ex-West Ham striker returned to Britain on Sunday and Ferguson has revealed that he will play against Championship strugglers Derby, possibly replacing either Wayne Rooney or Dimitar Berbatov.
“Carlos was back in training on Monday and he’ll be involved on Wednesday,” Ferguson said.
“It will be virtually the same squad that played Southampton on Sunday in the FA Cup. I might leave out one or two, but it’ll be more or less the same group of players.”
Teenage striker Danny Welbeck is expected to be rewarded for his impressive display against Southampton with another run-out.
Welbeck enhanced his burgeoning reputation with the first goal in United’s 3-0 win against the Saints and Ferguson has tipped the 18-year-old for stardom.
“Danny did a good job for us and you can see the ability he’s got,” he said.
“He’s still growing and can get a bit weak at some moments during games, but overall we’re very pleased with him. It was good for him to experience playing away from home because it’s always more difficult. He showed a good temperament to play. He’s got a good personality, he always enjoys playing. The potential is definitely there.”