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Fergie: No favours for Gill Sir Alex Ferguson has vowed not to give preferential treatment to Oliver Gill even though the chief executive's son has been drafted in as emergency cover for Manchester United's Champions League encounter with Wolfsburg.

With 12 players injured, Ryan Giggs rested and Owen Hargreaves still to make an appearance this term following major knee surgery, Ferguson has been forced to delve into his B-list of players just to make up a squad Youngsters who have spent two years with a club academy can be supplemented onto the original list of 25 players United must supply UEFA at the start of the competition.

It meant five were on the flight to Germany this morning, with even United's legion of autograph hunters forced to ask their names for confirmation.

Old Trafford supremo David Gill's son was among them, having opted against going to university in favour of trying his luck at professional football.

But, having once had his own son Darren on his playing staff, Ferguson is not likely to give the 19-year-old defender an easy path into the United first-team.

"It doesn't concern me. If he is good enough, he plays," said Ferguson.

"That is the name of the game at Manchester United. I had my own son in the squad for four or five years and he was treated exactly the same as any other member of the squad.

"It will be the same for Oliver." It is a measure of United's injury problems that Gill is one of only two natural defenders in the Red Devils' 19-man party.

The other, Patrice Evra, is apparently being persuaded to play in central defence against his better judgement even though he will be giving almost a foot in height to Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko.

"One defender," reflected Ferguson. "It is worth trying. It would be easy to organise anyway." In truth, Michael Carrick is already earmarked for one central defensive berth while Darren Fletcher will also figure somewhere in the back four depending on how successful Ferguson is at winning Evra round.

"Wolfsburg will be delighted we have so many injuries," admitted Ferguson.

"I know we might come second in the group but I am not sure whether it really makes much difference.

"AC Milan and Real Madrid are in one group, Bordeaux, Bayern Munich and Juventus are in another, Barcelona, Rubin Kazan and Inter Milan in a third, so if you get one of those it doesn't matter whether you have finished first or second.

"The one issue is that if you finish second you have to play the first leg of your knock-out round at home but that is all." Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio has urged his side to put their failure to seal qualification against CSKA Moscow behind them.

"Of course it would have been best if had had already qualified in Moscow," he told his club's website. "But it would be a waste of energy to now worry about that.

"We want to get into the last 16 of the Champions League. In order to archive this aim we have to block everything else out.

Wolfsburg vs Man Utd

Last modified 17:10 11/12/09

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If only everything in life was as reliable as Michael Owen.

In the home of Volkswagen, Owen offered England boss Fabio Capello a timely reminder of his enduring goalscoring ability with his first hat-trick for four years.

Owen's predatory finishing gave Manchester United's patched-up side a win which confirmed them as Group B winners ahead of the draw for the knockout stage a week on Friday.

Germany has provided the backdrop for some of the biggest highs of Owen's career, as well as some of his lowest moments.

There was the euphoria of his hat-trick in England's historic 5-1 demolition of Germany in Munich in 2001, followed by despair as Liverpool were beaten in the quarter-finals of the Champions League by Bayer Leverkusen in 2004.

Two years later Owen's world came crashing down when he suffered cruciate ligament damage during a World Cup tie against Sweden in Gelsenkirchen, which kept him out of action for seven months.

But last night, a week short of his 30th birthday, Owen banished those negative memories with a superbly-executed hat-trick which may just have revived his fading hopes of gatecrashing Capello's World Cup squad.

Owen's first goal came a minute before the break. Nani provided the cross, his only valid contribution of the night, and Owe applied the required finish with a downward header at the far post.

His second came courtesy of some superb build-up play from substitute Gabriel Obertan, whose quick feet and delivery across the face of the Wolfsburg goal presnted Owen with the simplest of tap-ins.

Owen's hat-trick goal was the most impressive, Paul Scholes feeding Obertan who in turn found Owen, whose pace took him away from his marker before producing a majestic chip over the advancing keeper.

It took Owen's tally of United goals to seven since his move from Newcastle on a free transfer last summer and was a reminder that, for all the doubts over his fitness, he remains a finisher of supreme quality on his day.

With 13 regulars missing, Fergie was forced to field a makeshift United line-up, a rare 3-5-2 formation seeing Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick and Patrice Evra operating as central defenders, with Ji-Sung Park and Nani ostensibly playing as wing-backs.

United were forced to invoke UEFA rules to include five young unknowns - including chief executive David Gill's son Oliver - just so they could field an 18-man squad.

But there was ultimately no need for Fergie to call upon any of the young rookies on the bench, as United's established stars - albeit in unfamiliar positions - got the job done.

United received a major left-off in the 13th minute, when Carrick brought down Makoto Hasebe with an ill-timed tackle, but somehow the referee failed to award a penalty.

It should have been a penalty, but Carrick got away with it, as did United when Wolfsburg proceeded to spurn two free headers on goal.

The first culprit was Andrea Barzagli, who rose unmarked but somehow contrived to head over, followed by Zvjezdan Misimovic, who was guilty of a similarly shocking miss.

Tomasz Kuszczak, now established as van der Sar's No.2, continued his fine recent form with a fingertip save to deny Hasebe from long-range in the 41st minute.

Despite taking the lead through Owen, United found themselves under sustained pressure after the break and it was no surprise when Wolfsburg drew level in the 56th minute through Edin Dzeko.

The £15m-rated Wolfsburg striker, whom Fergie is considering a move for when the transfer window re-opens next month, took advantage of Carrick's failure to clear the ball by powering a header past Kuszczak.

But Owen's two goals ultimately secured United victory and gave Capello much to ponder before England's next friendly in March.

Wolfsburg (4-1-3-2): Benaglio 5; Riether 5, Ricardo Costa 5, Barzagli 5, Schafer 7; Josue 5; Hasebe 7 (Ziani 72, 5), Misimovic 6, Gentner 5; Dzeko 7, Grafite 6 (Dejagah 72, 5)

Man Utd (3-5-2): Kuszczak 7; Fletcher 7, Carrick 7, Evra 7; Park 7, Gibson 7, Scholes 8, Anderson 7, Nani 5 (Valencia 74, 5): Welbeck 6 (Obertan 74, 7); Owen 9

Hero: Owen. Boosted his England hopes with superb hat-trick. 9

Villain: Nani. Cross for Owen's goal was his only valid contribution. 5

Anorak: United are unbeaten in 15 games away in Europe.