Fergie wary of burn-out

Ferguson: Set to utilise squad

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Sir Alex Ferguson will ensure that his squad are not be burnt out when they travel to Arsenal next week by utilising his whole squad.

The United boss admitted that his side simply ran out of steam two years ago when they took a 3-2 lead to AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League semi-final.

With the Red Devils then battling to win their first title in three years, and Ferguson forced to field a patched-up defence due to injuries, United succumbed to a 3-0 loss in Italy.

The defeat is the last time the Champions League holders lost in Europe's premier competition and Ferguson is confident that there will not be a repeat when his side take a slender 1-0 lead to Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

"We don't expect to capitulate as we did in Milan that night," he said.

"At that time I was playing the same players all the time. Now I have the squad and I will use it."

Opportunity

That could mean that players such as Paul Scholes, Park Ji-sung, Rafael Da Silva and Ben Foster get the chance to shine at Middlesbrough on Saturday lunchtime after all four were unused substitutes against the Gunners on Wednesday.

Ferguson also singles out his team's maturity as another reason why he is confident they will progress to the final in Rome.

"The maturity of the team is obvious," he added.

"Our performances away from home have been excellent. I said it when we went to Inter Milan and Porto was another case in point.

"These young players have played a lot of games in Europe. When you have been in Europe as long as we have it is bound to help."