Ferguson to stand by United kids for final showdown

With Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra already sidelined for Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round tie against Spurs, the last thing Ferguson needed was more defensive injury concerns

But the manager is facing a back-four crisis after Rafael and Jonny Evans were both crocked.

Rafael hobbled off before half-time with a torn hamstring that will keep him out for at least a month, while Evans was affected by ankle trouble and ended the game limping badly. Equally worrying was the sight of midfielder Anderson being carried off at the final whistle, while Nani, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville all failed to complete the full 90 minutes.

Ferguson will be forced to shuffle his pack against Spurs, with Darren Fletcher almost certain to start as a makeshift right-back. If Neville fails to recover in time, John O'Shea will switch to central defence with Fabio Da Silva coming in at left-back for his debut.

The casualties took the shine off a thrilling semi-final that appeared over when United - trailing 1-0 from the first leg - cruised into a three-goal lead inside 34 minutes with goals from Nani, O'Shea and Carlos Tevez.

Derby were given hope thanks to a second-half Giles Barnes penalty but Cristiano Ronaldo put United further ahead from the spot before Barnes netted a second in the dying minutes.

United, meanwhile, will not be renewing their £14million shirt sponsorship deal with troubled bankers AIG when the current arrangement runs out in 2010.

The US firm has been hit hard by the global credit crunch and United are believed to be in talks with Indian corporation Sahara about becoming the club's next shirt sponsor.