Team news

Everton preview
Everton have suffered a fresh injury blow with the loss of key midfielder Tim Cahill for up to three weeks.

The Australian was forced off with a calf injury during the Toffees' Europa League victory over Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday.

His absence further depletes boss David Moyes' options ahead of Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash against champions Manchester United at Goodison Park.

Everton learned earlier this week that another influential midfielder, Marouane Fellaini, will miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury.

John Heitinga is available after missing the Sporting tie through ineligibility and Steven Pienaar returns to Premier League duty after suspension.

Tony Hibbert (groin), Victor Anichebe (back) and loan signing Philippe Senderos (back) are still out but progressing and long-term absentee Phil Jagielka (knee) is also back in training.

Moyes has buried the hatchet with Wayne Rooney and admitted his former striker is destined to become one of the best in the world.

Moyes fell out with the Manchester United and England star prior to his acrimonious #27million move to Old Trafford in 2004.

The pair later became involved in a libel dispute following claims by Rooney in his autobiography but that was settled two years ago and Moyes now has the utmost respect for the 24-year-old.

Rooney has been in outstanding form for United, scoring 25 times this season, and he will be reunited with Moyes this weekend.

Moyes said: "I think Wayne is a top player and I think he is going to be a great player.

"He has added goals to his game, maturity, understanding - all the things you would expect from a maturing player.

"I think time will be the test of whether he becomes the best in the world but he is certainly getting very close to it." One of Rooney's written criticisms was that Moyes was overbearing but the player has since apologised.

Moyes now believes Everton can feel proud of the role they played in Rooney's development but he thinks the club have learned lessons from the way his situation was handled.

Rooney came through the Everton ranks and was tipped for stardom even before he burst into the first team at the age of 16.

Moyes said: "All credit to Wayne, he rang me to apologise about a year ago for all the things he wrote in his book.

"That was something that made me realise he was a maturing man.

"He realised what he had been given at Everton was great and his development, what we tried to do, was right.

"All in all, I think Wayne would probably look back on his time at Everton as being good.

"We probably weren't ready for Wayne Rooney at the time. I think we would be more ready now."

Manchester United preview
Nemanja Vidic will return to the Manchester United squad.

Vidic has yet to play in 2010 after suffering a nerve problem in a leg, but after expressing some exasperation about the situation earlier this week, Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed the Serbian will be available.

Anderson is also in the squad following a reserve team appearance on Thursday night, but Ryan Giggs is out with a broken arm, while Rio Ferdinand and Nani are both suspended.

Rooney returns to face his boyhood club with Ferguson convinced his star striker is now one of the world's best players.

By spending #27million to lure Rooney to Manchester United from the team he supported as a boy in 2004, Ferguson never had any doubts over Rooney's potential.

Yet there have been times during the intervening years when the 24-year-old did not appear to be developing as planned, especially compared to Cristiano Ronaldo's meteoric rise.

But, after dragging United along virtually single-handed for most of the campaign, Rooney's team-mates have come to his assistance in recent times, improving the Red Devils' performances to such an extent that their star man has been catapulted into the elite group alongside Ronaldo, Kaka and Lionel Messi.

"Over the last month or so his game has just taken off," said Ferguson.

"Confidence has something to do with it of course but he has been in absolutely incredible form over the last few weeks.

Before, we said that his goalscoring tended to come in bursts. Now he is far more consistent and goalscoring is the area you always want to be judged as a striker.

Everton vs Man Utd

Last modified 21:33 20/02/10

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Everton, the scourge of the top clubs, added the champions to their list of illustrious conquests with a performance as ruthless as it was stirring.

Goals by two young ­substitutes, Dan Gosling and Jack Rodwell, destroyed Manchester United and gave another twist to the Premier League title contest.

Chelsea had perished here, so too Manchester City, but this win will be particularly precious to manager David Moyes.

In truth, United were a pale imitation of the team that beat Milan earlier in the week and the side that have, over the years, outplayed Everton.

Even the advantage of an early lead, courtesy of ­Dimitar Berbatov, couldn’t steer United beyond ­Everton’s reach. Moyes’ men dug deep, found belief and a superb equaliser.

Diniyar Bilyaletdinov’s goal shifted the balance of the match and in the second half United couldn’t live with the energy of Everton’s midfield.

Louis Saha, revelling in the challenge of showing what his old club were missing, gave Jonny Evans a torrid afternoon. By contrast, Wayne Rooney, was a tame pussycat against his former employers.

United’s feeble ­capitulation left Sir Alex Ferguson ­admitting it was a severe blow. He said: “We were well beaten. In the second half we were outplayed, we were ­second best. We started well enough but their first goal ­galvanised them.

“We maybe left something in Milan. We looked tired in the second half. But you expect Manchester United to respond to the importance of the game.

“It’s a bad result. You can’t afford to lose at this stage of the season. But you hope other teams drop points as well. It’s that kind of league this season. I don’t think we’ll panic.”

If United thought the ­absence of Everton’s midfield enforcers, Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill would give them a comfortable ride they were in for a shock.

They were overwhelmed by Moyes’ patched-up side, ­reinforced so thrillingly by young guns, Gosling and ­Rodwell.

Moyes said: “We’ve shown we are capable of beating the top boys and on our day we’re a match for anybody.

“I wanted us to have a real go at United and we did that. We started tentatively but grew in the game as we did against Chelsea. The young boys did it for us.”

Rodwell, repeatedly linked with a summer move to ­United, came on to help see out the game and he did it in the best possible way.

He said: “The manager told me to go out and mark Paul Scholes. He also said to go ­forward on the break and I managed to do that.”

Something had to give in the early skirmishes, and United’s assurance ensured it was Everton’s resistance.

Sylvain Distin failed to deal with Antonio Valencia’s cross from the right and Berbatov scored off the underside of the bar.

The body language of those in blue and the hush that ­descended on Goodison Park suggested Everton feared the worse, yet out of nothing they conjured an equaliser after Johnny Heitinga punted the ball in the general direction of Saha and Evans leapt in a ­desperate attempt to clear.

There still seemed no o­bvious danger for United as Bilyaletdinov picked up the loose ball, but before anyone could switch on, the Russian drilled a left-foot shot that fizzed past Edwin Van der Sar, who barely flinched.

Bilyaletdinov was high and wide with another effort and Phil Neville stifled Rooney after the United star rounded Tim Howard.

Everton almost exploited the uncertainty in United’s defence but Landon Donovan miscued with the goal at his mercy.

Darren Fletcher made a far cleaner contact from 25 yards early in the second half and Howard was relieved to see the ball flash beyond his post.

Despite that scare Everton contained United with ­relative ease and Ferguson responded by sending on Paul Scholes and Gabriel Obertan in the hope of invigorating his team.

If the theory was sound the reality was a continuation of their fragile display.

Everton’s self-belief swelled, they pushed forward in ­numbers and Gosling gave them the lead from Pienaar’s cross, scrambling it in from six yards.

Rooney had a free-kick ­deflected just wide but this was not to be his day.

Rodwell sealed Everton’s victory with a solo goal, ­running through United’s ­defence to slot his shot in the far bottom corner.