You missed seven games over Christmas and New Year; was it frustrating to miss a run of matches like that?
"It was, yes, because I seemed to get back from one thing, then fall ill, recover and then something else would stop me playing. It happened two or three times between the end of November and the beginning of January. I’ve very rarely been ill while I’ve been at this club but for that month I just didn’t seem to be able to get over it. I’m back now though and I want to play every possible game from now until the end of the season, if the manager selects me."
What have you made of the team's performances?
"The manager mentioned it last week: the run we’re on now is championship form. There is no doubt that we are in championship form – but without making any inroads at all into Chelsea’s lead. But if we continue in this form until the end of the season and keep accumulating this number of points, I genuinely think that things might change. I still harbour hopes that Chelsea may drop points during such a hectic schedule, with a Carling Cup final, FA Cup matches, Champions League and pressure league matches to play. I still feel there is light at the end of the tunnel for us."
Has it been disappointing that we’ve not managed to close the gap on Chelsea?
Not so long ago people were writing off Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, but they have been in fantastic form since November...
"If you are over 30 and you have one or two bad games, you tend to get written off; then, if you play well as the team gets a couple of good results, you’re the most important player. I think Keane, Scholesy and Giggsy are our best, our most important and most difficult-toreplace players, because of what each of them brings to the side. They’ve got experience and drive, they’ve got a class and quality that has been paramount in the success of the last 10 years. Those three players - all have been, and still are, amazing players."
What about the three young players in the side?
"I think Wayne Rooney did a very difficult thing in coming to this club but he has done very well. He has adapted to playing in a number of positions, and the more he performs and gets used to playing massive games on a Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday, the better player he’ll become. He’ll be a great player for United but you’ve got to remember that this is probably his most demanding season. No disrespect to Everton, but every game at this club is a massive one, and he’ll get better and better at handling that the longer he’s here. The same goes for Cristiano Ronaldo. There have been signs in the last few months – recently against Aston Villa and Chelsea – that he is a real danger when he plays at that level. He takes the ball in all situations and runs at players… he’ll get better and better too. And Darren Fletcher plays the position of a right-sided midfield player as well as anyone in terms of his football brain. He's a very clever player and has good vision. He, again, will keep improving."
United have enjoyed some defensive stability in recent months. How do you think the current back four - Rio Ferdinand, Mikael Silvestre, Gabriel Heinze and yourself - have performed?
"Looking back on the whole season, I think we've got to be pleased with how we've done defensively as a team overall - not just the back four and the keeper, but the midfield and the forwards as wll. We all contribute. But certainly in terms of height, presence, speed and reading of the game, our defence has all the functions needed. And I think we'll get better too because Rio, Gabi and Mikael have yet to reach their peak as footballers."
How does the centre-half pairing of Rio and Mikael compare to other you've played with?
"For me, as a central defender in the youth team, to watch Bruce and Pallister play together was fantastic. They both complemented each other very well and they were the benchmark for the next 10 years. Now, finally, we've got a pai in Mikael and Rio that can compare with them. I don't say that lightly because it is easy to forget how good Pally and Bruce were, but the current two have got many of the attributes they had."
United's Premiership record at home is pretty good, winning eight games and drawing four. Are you happy with that?
"Four draws is too many. You only have to look at the games we've draw... We should have turned them into wins. City was a 0-0 thrashing. I had two late chances to win the game against Middlesbrough and the Everton 0-0 was just a dour game when we should have raised our level to get a goal. Spurs was a bit different in that it came at the end of a real tough run of games and we tired in the second half. You can accept a couple of draws but at least two of those games should have been converted into victories."
Only a few months back people were writing United off, not just for this season but for the long term. Do you think events of recent months have shown the critics were wrong?
"There have been difficulties in the last 18 months to two years in terms of not always having the results we wanted, but last season we won the FA Cup, and going into the last three months of the season there is a lot to play for. People will always want to write us off because of what has happened at United over the past 10 years but there is something here that I think will be very good for the next three or four years. We’ve just got to keep fighting away and keep picking up trophies. And we’re still in three competitions so we have every reason to be hopeful."