Our character will see us through – Ferguson

Alex Ferguson says his Manchester United side will draw on all their experience and character to get them over the finishing line this season.

United face Arsenal in an FA Cup quarter-final showdown at Old Trafford today after back-to-back Premier League defeats that have eroded their lead at the top of the table in the closing stages of the campaign.

Ironically it is today’s visitors Arsenal who are best placed to capitalise on United’s failure to hit top gear. But Ferguson backed his players to keep their heads and demonstrate their resilience in the run-in.

“We have that experience to recover. It’s happened a few times,” Ferguson told reporters yesterday.

“At any club you never go through a period of the season where everything is rosy. When you get the bad moments you have to recover from it. It’s another day in the history of Manchester United.

“That’s what it is and you take that history into games. The ability to do so over the years is a tremendous credit to every team we’ve had here.”

Manchester United have a big Champions League tie with Marseille on Tuesday to spark a key run of games that could shape their season. The prospect of silverware remains on the club’s radar, with Ferguson’s side fighting on three fronts.

“We’ve got to look forward. There’s big opportunities at the club and we have a lot of challenges ahead for the rest of the season,” he said.

“It’s terrific to be involved in March, when every game you play is of an importance.

“We have pretty important games coming up. We have Marseille on Tuesday and then we have Bolton in a league game. It goes on and on.

“That’s why you hope to get to March and be involved in all these things, and we are.”

Ferguson confirmed that winger Nani will not return to action until after this month’s international break.

The Portugal international departed on a stretcher in their 3-1 defeat at Anfield last time out after sustaining a deep gash in a first-half tackle by Jamie Carragher.

The Liverpool defender was shown a yellow card by referee Phil Dowd although replays show that Carragher was lucky to escape red.

“We have managed to stitch the injury, which is good news,” Ferguson said.

“We need to guard against in-fection and swelling. It is difficult to say exactly when he will be ready to return but we won’t get him back for the Bolton match next Saturday.”