Football: Stam ready to return for European final

ONLY OLD Trafford's inner sanctum know how Alex Ferguson instructed his players to behave this week, but it is a good bet spending a night in the police cells was not part of his advice. Yet, as Manchester United turned their attention from winning the Premiership to Saturday's FA Cup final, yesterday their captain was being interrogated for an alleged assault.

Roy Keane was released without charge yesterday and, according to his manager: "That's the end of the matter as far as Manchester United are concerned." Nevertheless, Ferguson was clearly irritated that the club's preparations for Wembley and the European Cup final next Wednesday in Barcelona were interrupted.

Ferguson missed yesterday's training session, helping Keane help the police with their inquiries. Later, however, he was able to confirm that Jaap Stam, who is suffering from an Achilles injury, will definitely play against Bayern Munich in Barcelona and could also take part against Newcastle in the FA Cup final.

"He's coming on," Ferguson said. "It's a decision whether we'll play him on Saturday or save him for Wednesday. We'll take the pitch into consideration because Wembley can be exacting. He'll play in at least one of the games, I can assure you of that."

As the European Cup is top of Ferguson's wish list, there was no question of which match that will be, but if rain softens Wembley's surface United might play their pounds 10m centre-half to counter the aerial potential of a Newcastle attack that is certain to contain Alan Shearer and might also include Duncan Ferguson. Like most foreigners, Stam is desperate to play in an FA Cup final, and that could be the deciding factor.

It is a question of balancing the desire to become the first English club to win the principal treble against the prospect of emulating Sir Matt Busby's team of 1968, who won United's only European Cup. "I'm juggling balls as best as I can to keep the team fresh," Ferguson said. "I think we've nearly got it right."

Some of Ferguson's dilemmas have been removed, because Roy Keane and Paul Scholes are suspended from the European Cup final and will definitely start on Saturday, while Denis Irwin is banned from Wembley so Phil Neville will come in at left-back.

That just leaves the problem of whether he can risk Ronny Johnsen, who will have an important role in either defence or midfield against Bayern, and the season-long quandary of perming two strikers out of Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

"I'm starting to work towards my team now," Ferguson said. "As always happens with Cup finals that you have to disappoint people. Missing Wembley is hard for any player to take but somewhere I have to find a way to explain to them why. It's not easy. It's the FA Cup final and it's important.

"We have the chance to win the Double again for the third time in the Nineties and you don't refuse that opportunity. The players will go for it."

In 1995 United succumbed to Everton in the FA Cup final on the back of losing the League to Blackburn, although, either side of that year, they won the Double, so Ferguson needs no persuasion about the positive effect of going to Wembley with the title secure. "That's why Sunday was an important game for us," he said. "It's lifted everyone, you can't mistake that. If we win on Saturday it will do us a power of good going to Barcelona."