Sir
Alex Ferguson's declaration that Nicky Butt will be
Roy Keane's partner is certain to spice up the Manchester
United midfield battle.
Butt looks destined to be rewarded for his outstanding
form for both club and country by finally establishing
himself as skipper Keane's sidekick - leaving Paul Scholes
and Juan Sebastian Veron to scrap it out on the substitutes'
bench.
It was Manchester-born Butt's performances for England
at the World Cup that finally triggered manager Ferguson
into handing the 27-year-old a regular shirt.
"Nicky is one player at the club who is almost
certain to start this time around," said Ferguson.
"When he came into the team last season he did
a fantastic job, then he went to the World Cup with
England and was a huge success."
Butt has so often been on the periphery at Old Trafford
but is now set to take centre stage, with Ferguson's
preference of Ryan Giggs and David Beckham occupying
the wide roles.
"I think Nicky has only complained about being
left out once," Ferguson added. "Sometimes
his maturity has been bankrupted by years of sitting
on the bench watching."
Meanwhile, United will face Zalaegerszeg in the UEFA
Champions League third qualifying round after the
Hungarians beat Croatia Zagreb on the away goals rule,
after their second-round tie ended 2-2 on aggregate.
The first leg will be away in Hungary on Wednesday,
August 14, with kick-off at 7.45pm BST.
The second leg at Old Trafford will be played on Tuesday,
August 27, with kick-off at 8.10pm BST.
