Ferguson delighted with Tevez frustration

(GETTY IMAGES)

Sir Alex Ferguson is delighted Carlos Tevez is frustrated at not being a regular member of his Manchester United starting line-up - the Scot does not want anyone who is happy to sit in the stand.

Tevez has been the odd man out since Dimitar Berbatov's arrival at Old Trafford, with speculation mounting that he may opt not to turn his loan deal into a permanent United contract when the season reaches its end next May.

However, the South American left Ferguson with a major selection dilemma ahead of tomorrow's meeting with Sunderland by scoring four times in the midweek Carling Cup defeat of Blackburn.

In a post-match interview, Tevez once again highlighted his relative lack of opportunities and Ferguson admitted he has spent the last couple of days trying to work out if he can fit his entire £90m strike-force into one team.

The answer is almost certainly no, given Ballon D'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo also expects to be involved.

It means someone is bound to be frustrated on an almost continual basis.

However, Ferguson prefers that situation than the alternative.

"It is obvious Carlos doesn't enjoy it," said the United chief.

"He wants to play. But do I want players who are quite happy to sit in the stand?

"I have to manage that situation the best I can. I understand he wants to play.

"I want to pick a team that wins. I have to be as fair as I possibly can. Performances do matter and his performance on Wednesday gives me a big problem."

With confusion over his opening goal against Rovers now cleared up, Tevez has six for the campaign, putting him level with Berbatov and Rooney, United's matchwinner against Manchester City last weekend.

"Carlos has given me a big selection problem," admitted Ferguson.

"I have been doodling on my pad trying to see how I could fit all these players in, but one of the important parts of your team is a proper balance. I am working on that.

"It was a fantastic performance from the lad on Wednesday, full of energy and aggressive running.

"The lad always tries and I admire him for that, even if it does not make my job any easier."

Ferguson acknowledged there were other eye-catching displays as United sealed their place in the Carling Cup semi-finals.

Anderson was outstanding in central midfield, while Jonny Evans and Ben Foster were among the stand-out performers at the back, even if United did concede three goals.

With five trophies to play for over the coming months, Ferguson is now confident that his squad can handle the demands of a congested fixture list.

"There were a lot of good performances on Wednesday, which tells me I have a good squad and gives me encouragement that we will be able to handle these fixtures in the second half of the season," he said.

"We have two games to make up once we have come back from the Club World Cup in Japan but we have lost two midweek dates due to the Carling Cup semi-finals.

"If we were to get to the final it would be another game, so you can understand our concerns a little bit.

"The squad that played on Wednesday will be the one I use in the semi-final. That is for definite."