The former Fulham defender has enjoyed a successful start to his career at Old Trafford and has seemingly moved ahead of Jonny Evans in the heirarchy. Growing in stature with every game he plays, Smalling says Vidic and Ferdinand have been instrumental in his development.

“The likes of Rio and Vida have been brilliant,” said Smalling.

“They help guide you through games and I am learning from them all the time.

“They deserve credit too. They have really helped me to settle in and my confidence is sky high at the moment.”

He also admitted that it’s great to receive praise from manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

“It has been great to hear those words from the manager,” Smalling said.

“For him to be saying things like that feels brilliant. Hopefully I can repay the faith.

“I just want to get more games under my belt and kick on from here.”

Now though, it appears the lack of competition in the current squad could be hindering United’s chances of reclaiming the Premier League crown from Chelsea.

In defence we’ve got the barely adequate John O’Shea at right back. Even he must be wondering how he’s managed to become United’s number one choice for the position, yet that’s what we’re seemingly lumbered with until Rafael can make the step up. Wes Brown is an option there too, but injuries have plagued him recently, meaning O’Shea is comfortable in his position and has no real threat to his place in the team.

Similarly with Jonny Evans in central defence, Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown have been constantly injured over the last year and during that time Evans has become more and more prone to errors. He at times looks like a rock alongside Nemanja Vidic and can make the absence of Ferdinand almost unnoticeable, but complacency may be a factor in his recent poor displays that have meant dropped points late on in away games.

Moving into midfield Paul Scholes has been the one pulling the strings for us this season, but with Darren Fletcher in a run of poor form the defence is left vulnerable. Scholes hasn’t got the les to chase back anymore and let’s face it, he was never much good at tackling anyway. Michael Carrick has been out injured and Owen Hargreaves …. he’s alive …. I think. Anderson has recently come back into the side but there’s still not the level of competition for places that there has been in previous seasons.

Now onto the position that should have strong competition for places: strikers.

Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen and Federico Macheda should all be competing for places in United’s front line, but it seems only three of those players actually have to compete.

While Dimitar Berbatov (along with Nani) have carried us so far this season, Owen has shown he’s still got his goalscoring touch in the Carling Cup and at Bolton. Macheda is full of energy and effort, albeit without much of an end product at the moment. The only one not actually competing is supposedly our star striker, Wayne Rooney.

It doesn’t matter how badly he plays, he keeps his place in the team. I’m usually all for him keeping his place because he often goes on these runs with no goals and then goes on a scoring spree. The problem this time though is that his problems aren’t just down to his form, they’re down to off the field issues that are affecting him mentally. This in turn translates to poor performance (and attitude) on the pitch.

News that Rooney will miss the Valencia tie through ‘injury’ makes me hope that Sir Alex Ferguson has decided to give more deserving players a crack at the whip and leave his misfiring striker on the sidelines until he sorts his head out.

The bottom line though is that all through the squad there’s simply not enough competition for places, meaning less motivation for the players to play well and keep their place in the starting line up.

The Arsenal manager made an unbelievable boast to the press yesterday, claiming to be better at developing young players than Sir Alex Ferguson.

“If you reproach me for not buying players, well if I buy players, Jack Wilshere doesn’t come out, so you cannot have everything. I’m long enough in the job to have a development policy to educate the players and the most difficult is to stand up for it and play them.”

One wonders if he’s watched United play recently, with many players taking to the pitch that have played their entire careers at Old Trafford.

“There is nobody else in the world[better than me]. Take the list of the players who started here. Johan Djourou, where has he started? Here. Senderos, where has he started? Clichy, where has he started? Gibbs? Where has he started? Fábregas? Where has he started? Song? Where has he started? Diaby has basically never played before at the top level. Ashley Cole. If you go back, it is unbelievable the number of players who started at this club.”

Some might argue that Fabregas started his career at Barcelona and would always have developed into a world class player, but if Wenger is taking credit for his development then Sir Alex can claim credit for Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and a host of other top players around the world.

The difference between Wenger’s kids and Fergie’s kids is that Fergie’s have won many trophies at United. Whereas Arsenal haven’t won any silverware since 2005, United have collected three league title, the Champions League and a host of other trophies that Wenger’s players can only dream about. Instead of gambling on young players who rarely make the grade, he should head over to http://skypoker.com where he’d probably have more luck.

The real comedy was in Wenger’s list of players though. Djourou and Senderos? That’s the equivalent of Fergie bragging about developing Paul McShane and Liam Miller.

“When I arrived nearly all their team had started [at United]. Not recently,” Wenger babbled.

Darren Fletcher, John O’Shea, Darron Gibson and Jonny Evans would all disagree with this comment, as would many other youngsters who have promising careers at Old Trafford.

I’m not sure whether it’s just delusion or downright lies, but Wenger doesn’t come close to Ferguson in terms of man management and helping players reach their potential. For a recent success story see Nani, who provoked jeers everytime one of his tricks went wrong last season, but is now considered one of the first names on the team sheet after scoring 6 goals and assisting 18 in his last 24 games.

I’m sure Arsene Wenger feels the need to defend himself after going for so long without a trophy, but the myopic gimp should have a good think before making such ridiculous claims in the future. Instead, he has joined a growing list of managers, including Kevin Keegan and Rafael Benitez, who have lost their marbles whilst trying to compete with the greatest manager the world has ever seen.

Chris Smalling partnered Jonny Evans in the centre of defence during the 3-1 win over Celtic, with the Da Silva twins, Fabio and Rafael, playing in the full back positions.

Van der Sar acknowledges that his main role is to play in net, but admits that he’s also partly responsible for helping the players develop for the future.

“The main reason why I’m here is keeping the goals out, of course. And probably the second thing is helping out with educating and making them aware of how to play, how to defend,” said the Dutchman.

A solid back four is the foundation behind every great football team and that’s what Van der Sar is hoping to return to this season, after United suffered with the loss of eight first team defenders at times last year.

“It’s nice when you’ve got experience or a back-four with you that have played a long time and at the moment a couple of players are still missing.”

He added that all four of the young defenders that played against Celtic in Toronto have bright futures at the club if they can force their way into Sir Alex Ferguson‘s starting line up for next season.

“The good thing for Chris [Smalling], who is new at the club, is to get a run-in, and Jonny has really come on very, very well, so I don’t think he’s lacking experience. And even the Da Silva brothers, Rafa played more than Fabio, but they are good players anyway.”

The Champions will be hoping to bounce back in style after the disappointing result at Goodison Park, by beating a West Ham side currently just 4 points above the relegation zone.

United are expected to welcome Rio Ferdinand back into the starting lineup after serving his 4 match ban for violent conduct, alongside Nemanja Vidic who has been absent with a nerve problem. The pair will bring much needed composure to the back line after recent nervy performances by stand-ins Wes Brown and Jonny Evans.

West Ham come to Old Trafford on the back of successive victories against Hull and Birmingham, but boss Gianfranco Zola has hinted that he may make changes.

United are clear favourites for the game, as usual at Old Trafford, but also because West Ham haven’t won an away game since the opening day of the season against Wolves. United beat West Ham convincingly at Upton Park in December.

Having already lost ground on Chelsea in the race for the title, United can’t afford another slip up tonight or they risk gifting the league leaders crucial breathing space. A win tonight puts them one point behind Chelsea who don’t play again until Saturday when they host Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.

Squads

Manchester United (from): Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Foster, Neville, Brown, Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Fabio, Park, Anderson, Valencia, Carrick, Scholes, Fletcher, Obertan, Gibson, Rooney, Owen, Berbatov, Diouf.

West Ham (from): Green, Stech, Spector, Faubert, Upson, Tomkins, Da Costa, Daprela, Parker, Behrami, Kovac, Collison, Noble, Diamanti, Stanislas, Cole, Mido, Ilan, Franco, McCarthy.

Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister were the foundation for much of our early Premier League successes, while Ronny Johnsen and Jaap Stam starred in the famous treble winning side of 1999. More recently, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic have forged arguably the best central defensive pairing in world football, propelling Manchester United to 3 consecutive Premier League titles and back to back Champions League finals.

That foundation has been rocked this season by the losses of both Vidic and Ferdinand for sustained periods. Vidic has played a part in 13 Premier League games this season, while England captain Ferdinand has managed just 6.

Last season saw the emergence of Jonny Evans as one of the brighter prospects in football, putting in assured performances against top class opposition and displaying maturity beyond his years. One of the reasons for his form was that he had the class and experience of either Vidic or Ferdinand beside him to show him the way and give him a sense of calmness. With both of his usual partners missing from the tem, Evans has been forced to play alongside Wes Brown, who before this season hadn’t had a sustained run in the centre of defence for over 2 years, and it shows.

On top of that, United have been unable to maintain the kind of consistency they’d like in the goalkeeping department. First choice Edwin Van der Sar has managed just 11 appearance thus far, while Ben Foster and Tomasz Kuszczac have mustered 8 each. For a team with title ambitions that is a major spanner in the works.

This kind of inconsistency and chopping and changing of the defence affects morale, affects consistency of performances and even affects other areas of the team. For example, without Rio Ferdinand’s calmness on the ball and ability to dribble out of defence and feed the midfielders, we’ve often resorted to pumping the ball up the pitch, often conceding possession when 6ft+ centre halves out-jump lone front man Wayne Rooney.

Our most common centre back pairing this season is Evans and Brown, and with just 9 appearances together all season it gives you an idea of the scale of the crisis we’ve been thorough and are continuing to go through. Indeed I don’t know of any other team that would be able to play their two first choice midfielders in defence and still maintain a challenge domestically and in Europe.

Take John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho out of the Chelsea defence and put Hilario in net and you’ll see a remarkably weaker team. Similarly, take Gallas, Vermaelen and Almunia from Arsenal and you’ll see the same.

Now put Michael Essien and Frank Lampard in Chelsea’s defence and Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song in Arsenal’s. I think you see what I’m getting at. Not only is the defence significantly weaker, but the effect of playing your two best midfielders at the back has a knock on effect on your ability to retain possession and create chances in the middle of the park. No creativity = no service to the forwards and ultimately a lack of goals.

So it’s no surprise that United have failed to dominate the league this year. To still be within shot of Chelsea despite an injury crisis of epic proportions is an astonishing feat by the coaches and the players. And if we finish the season empty handed I’ll still be able to look back on the season knowing we battled against adversity until the very end.

The Argentine mercenary celebrated in front of the United captain with his ears cupped, and Neville responded by flipping Tevez the middle finger.

Evans believes it could be Tevez’s own fault for misinterpreting Neville’s initial comments, or that someone has intentionally used the comments to wind him up.

After four years of living in England, he can still barely speak the language, so it wouldn’t be altogether surprising if his under developed brain had got the wrong impression.

“Gary and Carlos are not team-mates any more and they don’t have to be pals but I think this has all been lost in translation a little bit,” Evans told Sky Sports.

“I don’t think Gary said Carlos wasn’t worth £25million.

“He was just saying the manager usually gets these decisions right and we will get on with it.

“From what I hear, either Carlos has read it wrong or someone is winding him up and he has reacted.”

His return will be a welcome boost for Manchester United after the major injury crisis they’ve gone through at the back.

Defensive partner Nemanja Vidic is still missing, and with Wes Brown and Jonny Evans seemingly unable to develop a competent partnership, Ferdinand will bring experience and leadership back to the defence.

“I think Rio will play against Hull, which is good news,” Ferguson said.

“He’s been training very well in the last two weeks so it’s time to bring him back.

“It’s a big boost because we’ve had a rough time at the back with Rio, Edwin van der Sar, Wes Brown, Jonny Evans, Nemanja Vidic and John O’Shea all being injured at one stage or another.”

At one point United were without eight senior defenders, meaning Patrice Evra was the only recognized defender in the team for the away defeat to Fulham.

“I got injured at completely the wrong moment,” he told Sky Sports.

“There were no defenders going into Fulham, just Patrice (Evra) on his own, which was a bit disappointing to say the least.

Brown believes he could have played despite the injury, but thinks he made the right decision to rest rather than risk making it worse and facing a longer spell on the sidelines.

“Maybe I could have played but I felt my hamstring a little bit and the best thing to do was to leave it.

“If I had played I could have made it a lot worse and been out for even longer.”

With Nemanja Vidic expected to be back in ten days, Jonny Evans playing against Leeds on Sunday and Rio Ferdinand hoping to be fit again soon, Brown believes the worst of the injury crisis is behind United.

“Soon we will have everyone back, so it is looking a lot more positive on the injury front, which is good news for the team,” he added.

“This season I have got back in because of injuries and I have done okay.

“We want everyone back but hopefully I can keep doing well.”

The young Irish centre half has proven to be a more than able deputy for Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, but injuries have hampered his playing time this season, despite injuries to other players meaning he’d have got plenty of time on the pitch.

And after the shock of losing to Leeds on Sunday, Evans admits he’s just glad to have come through the game without aggravating his injury.

“It’s frustrating to have an injury at any time during the season, but it was especially disappointing in the last two months to have missed so many games,” Evans told manutd.com.

“With a lot of the other defenders injured, you know that if you were fit you could get a good run in the side. All the other lads that have been on the treatment table recently have been thinking the same thing. So hopefully it won’t be too long before we’re all back.”

Evans is keen to play a big part in the remainder of the campaign, and enjoys this time of the season becasue of the number of big games that are to be played.

“We’re right in the middle of a really busy time of season, but as a player it’s one you really enjoy because there are lots of big games.

“As well as the league, we’ve got two big Carling Cup matches against Manchester City. So it’s an exciting time, and now I just want to play as big a part as I possibly can.”

The versatile Manchester United player can play in defence and midfield, and sees the progression of brother Jonny from reserves to first team as a great example of how hard work pays off.

“He is a great role model, not only for myself but for all young players coming through. I am very proud of him.

“Jonny and I always try to pass on positive feedback on each other’s game. I want to establish myself in club football, whether at United or on loan.”

Corry was speaking ahead of Northern Ireland Under-21′s European Championship qualifier with the Czech Republic and thinks the presence of senior boss Nigel Worthington for the game is a fantastic incentive to put in a good performance.

“It shows he has great belief in the next generation and gives us all a massive incentive to do well, no matter what age group you are in.

“You see the likes of Ryan McGivern and Andrew Little stepping up and know the chance is there for you.”

The Manchester United centre half was withdrawn at half time during the 1-0 loss and boss Nigel Worthington confirmed the injury in his post match comments.

“It’s only fair to Jonny and United that we took him off. We’ve put him in ice and we’ll know more in the next 24 hours.”

Sir Alex Ferguson will be hoping it’s not too serious, as first choice defensive pairing Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic have also struggled with injuries this season.

The Northern Irish central defender believes the 50/50 decisions are often going in the opponents favour and it’s having an effect on the players morale in the dressing room He continued by saying they feel like they have to beat the referee as well as the other team.

“We are usually quite good with referees,” Evans told Sky Sports News. “I think there are a lot of teams that do a lot of play-acting, but I don’t think that’s the case with Manchester United.

“I think we do try and play fair and not many of us would roll around and try and cheat.

“Sometimes the 50-50 decisions, that you would hope because of that would go in your way, have not been really going our way lately and I think that’s what has maybe been disheartening a few of the lads, but that’s football.

“Sometimes you have got to beat the referee as well and that is what we are going to try and do.”

Graham Taylor has questioned Rio’s long term future with both Manchester united and England, stating that “his legs have gone”. But Sir Alex has defended Rio, insisting his quality has not been diminished by injuries.

“In my time here, we have always had one of our star players finding he gets criticised when he has a little blip,” he said.

“It seems to be part and parcel of being a player at Manchester United. We are all aware of that.

“No player likes to be criticised. We all like to be loved and want arms around our shoulders at times.

“But he will come out of it – there is no question about that.

“There is no discernible depreciation in his qualities – none at all.”

Rio has insisted he needs a run of games to find his form, and that’s an opinion Sir Alex wholeheartedly agrees with. Unfortunately time seems to be running out in the race to be fit for Sunday’s clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, as both Rio and Nemanja Vidic are expected to miss tomorrow’s Champions League group game against CSKA Moscow.

“Playing with injury is not the easiest thing to do, and we are trying to get it right,” said Ferguson.

“Calf injuries can be troublesome.

“If you don’t arrest it and give it proper treatment then you can end up the way we are now, and playing in games when you are not 100% fit.

“It is difficult to say about the weekend. He is doing some good work, and we hope we will see improvement in the two of them.”

It’s not all negative though. Sir Alex has Wes Brown back in the frame after a prolonged period of injury.

“The great thing for Wes Brown is that he has remained fit this year,” said Ferguson.

“Last season, he had a terrible run of injuries. But the previous year, he made the most appearances and played in the final in Moscow.

“When he is fit and we bring him in there is no better defender in the country. He is a real true defender.

“I have no worries about Sunday in terms of Brown and Evans – absolutely no worries at all.”