Ferguson praises Ruud's return
2005-08-20 17:28
Manchester, England - Ruud van Nistelrooy is back to his best, Sir Alex Ferguson
declared after the striker's goal earned Manchester United a 1-0
victory over Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The Dutchman's poached effort on 66 minutes maintained United's
perfect start to the season and finally broke Villa's stubborn
resistance.
Mo<"Ruud's season last season was fragmented and it was partly our
fault in bringing him back too early," the United manager told Sky
Sports.
"His fitness has been fantastic in pre-season and we are getting
the benefit of that."
United midfielder Darren Fletcher was also singing his
team-mate's praises after van Nistelrooy continued his hot scoring
streak that has seen him find the back of the net in all three of
United's competitive matches this season.
"Ruud is flying just now and he finished off a good move," said
the Scottish international.
'Ruud just had to tap it home'
"Ruud just had to tap it home but he is all about scoring goals
and has done that.
"It's six points out of six and a good start. We have hit the
ground running, ground out a result, and now we have to keep things
going.
"A 1-0 win doesn't tell the story. Villa sat behind the ball but
we knew if we kept passing the goal would come.
"Everyone gets frustrated but we tried to be patient, not get
too direct, just keep passing. We've got used to the way teams play
at Old Trafford."
There was never much doubt about the outcome of the lunchtime
encounter that United dominated from start to finish under the
watchful gaze of Joel and Bryan Glazer.
The brothers were able to take their seats in the Old Trafford
directors' box with no signs of protest over their father Malcolm's
790-million-pound takeover of the club.
Villa without Nolberto Solano
Villa were without Peruvian midfielder Nolberto Solano, who was
dropped to the bench by manager David O'Leary as punishment for
admitting he would be interested in a move to Liverpool.
That left the Villa line-up with an even more defensive look
than had been anticipated with O'Leary opting to play Colombian
striker Juan Pablo Angel as a lone striker in front of a five-man
midfield.
The Irishman blamed injuries for his defensive approach to the
game, saying his hand was forced.
"We defended really well until Olof Mellberg made a mistake and
we gave a stupid ball away.
"I am an attack-minded coach and like to take people on but
circumstances dictated my plans because we had a few players
injured."
The tactic worked for a while, United taking nearly half an hour
before forcing Villa goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen to make a save.