Can everybody please stop getting injured? Manchester United’s own crisis comes in their defensive regions, where Alex Ferguson looks likely to perm two out of Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and Patrice Evra to play at centre-half for tonight’s Champions League game against Wolfsburg. Sport.co.uk lists ten more of those consistent unlikely heroes: the Emergency – or Makeshift, or Stand-In, if you will – Centre Halves…
1. Tony Hibbert
The 5 foot 8 inch Everton right-back has performed admirably in a central role of late - especially in Europe – with the Toffees having lost Joseph Yobo, Sylvain Distin and Phil Jagielka to injuries, and Joleon Lescott to Manchester City.
2. Yaya Toure
With the help of daily advice from brother and natural centre-half Kolo, the 6ft 3inch defensive midfielder was successfully converted into a centre-half for the latter stages of Barcelona’s victorious Champions League campaign last season.
3. Dion Dublin
The Leicester-born centre-forward actually started his career in defence before managers discovered that sticking him down the other end of the pitch was something of a winner. As his career lulled to a finish at Leicester City, Celtic and Norwich City, Dublin made the move back and carried on playing until he was almost 40.
4. Chris Sutton
The current Lincoln City manager and former Blackburn Rovers title-winner formed a famous strike partnership with Alan Shearer at Ewood Park, but he was always capable of slipping back into the middle of defence and even, on occasion, midfield.
5. Tom Huddlestone
The young midfielder is slowly beginning to establish himself in the middle of the park for Tottenham Hotspurs but, with Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate always likely to pick up an injury or three, he remains centre-back cover to be considered after the next rung of Sebastian Bassong and Michael Dawson.
6. Emile Heskey
The Aston Villa and somehow still England forward performed to good effect at the back for Wigan when it was called for, although he is rumoured to have refused Martin O’Neill’s request for him to perform a similar role for the Villans.
7. Roy Keane
The Ipswich Town manager, whose look of permanent irritation is starting to rival that of Harry Redknapp’s, often filled central defensive voids at Manchester United when injuries or suspensions hit hard.
8. Esteban Cambiasso
Jose Mourinho has used the Argentine defensive midfielder as a centre-half in times of crisis at Inter, and he has played well there when it’s mattered.
9. John Wark
The Ipswich and Liverpool legend not only sported one of his generation’s finest ‘taches, but he was also capable of operating anywhere up and down the middle of the pitch. Poacher one minute, stalwart the next.
10. Michael Essien
Chelsea’s Ghanaian midfield dynamo played across the backline early in his career at French side SC Bastia, but it would take quite an injury pile-up at Stamford Bridge to see him back there.
