Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson admits major concerns over their long injury list.

Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans are close to returning, while Ashley Young, Tom Cleverley and Michael Owen should all be available by the middle of next month.

Fergie hopes that in their absence United will be able to sustain interest in the FA Cup as well as the league, ­although he can't pretend the romance of the ancient pot seduces him as once it did. He said: "I don't think it's got the same magic as it had when I first came down here and that's a lot to do with the doing away of replays until the tie was decided. You could have three or four replays.

"Also, the ­decision to play semi-finals at Wembley has lessened the Cup's importance and the emphasis on European football and the Premier League, with its Sky coverage, has changed things."