Ground: Old Trafford.

Nickname: Red Devils.

Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson.

Current position: 9th (P4 W1 D2 L1 5pts).

Top scorer: Alan Smith 5 (2 Premiership).

Last time out: Barclay's Premiership -- United 0, Everton 0.

How they lined up: Howard, Gary Neville, Silvestre, O'Shea, Spector, Fletcher (Giggs 64), Scholes, Kleberson (Djemba-Djemba 64), Ronaldo (Bellion 81), Smith, Saha. Not used: Phil Neville, Carroll.

Danger man: He might have been dropped from the England front line in midweek but Alan Smith has undoubtedly hit the ground running at Old Trafford since his summer move from Leeds. He left the Reebok in tears in April when Leeds' relegation fate was sealed and he will be aiming to make it a happy return.

Last six Premiership: Everton (h) drew 0-0, Blackburn (a) drew 1-1, Norwich (h) won 3-1, Chelsea (a) lost 1-0, Aston Villa (a) won 2-0, Chelsea (h) drew 1-1.

Form guide: By their own standards, United have had a poor start. They have been hampered by injuries and international commitments -- Argentine defender Gabriel Heinze reported for his first training session on Tuesday, three months after his £6.9m transfer from PSG -- and come to the Reebok with just one win from their four Premiership games.

Selection update: New boy Wayne Rooney is still recovering from the foot injury he suffered on Euro 2004 duty with England, Ruud Van Nistelrooy is also out of the picture while Rio Ferdinand remains sin-binned. Fergie has suggested Ronaldo might need a rest but with Louis Saha, Gary Neville and John O'Shea picking up injuries on international duty, it could be all hands to the pumps. Heinze could come into the equation after just being introduced to his new team-mates.