FERGIE PLOTTING & HOPING

“If you get to the end of December and you’re in a challenging position, you’re in with a chance because it’s a crucial month,” Ferguson said. “I’ve always said that by that time you have a fair idea of where you stand.”

Ferguson has identified Scholes as the talisman in what remains of a season devoid of European distractions:

“Sometimes playing a lot can help you because if you’re successful in the Champions League it can spread to the league games, too,” he added. “It helped us in 1999, so you never know. Scholesy didn’t get a great start to the season, but in the last five or six weeks you can see his real form coming back. The important matter for me is his form and he’s playing absolutely fantastically.”