SPARTA FIRST,ARSENAL SECOND

Last updated : 19 October 2004 By editor

'There is a big focus on next Sunday's game with Arsenal because it's such a vital game in the English football calendar but that is not to forget we have an important game with Sparta Prague first,' Ferguson told Sky Sports News.

"The last time we sent about seven players away in September and three came back inured, this time 19 went away and none of them came back with any injuries so we are very pleased about that. Gabriel is fit and fresh and wants to play and he has a tremendous attitude to playing matches," he says.

Fergie sees Poborsky as being unlucky.

'Karel is a very good player, he did very well for me. We were looking to sign a right-sided midfielder, after he had done so well at the European Championships in 1996, and at that time we didn't expect David Beckham to break through the way he did, so he was unfortunate.”

'But he played many good games for us, the problem was that he was coming from another country with a young player like Beckham emerging.”

'I was always pleased with the way he performed for us, and since then there's been evidence, in the summer (at Euro 2004) that he has carried on a great career. He was always a terrific professional, a great lad and he never caused us any problems at all.'