Christmas is a busy time for you, but if you do get the chance to sit back and reflect on the calendar year 2002, how will you view it?
"So it’s very much been a year of injuries throughout the campaign but hopefully now as the players come back, next year will be a far better year for us. The December programme is always massive. And we’re playing on the 26th, the 28th and then New Year’s Day. So it’s a busy time and thankfully we’ve got more players back in the squad."
In the past you said that Denis Irwin was the first name on your team-sheet whenever he was fit. Who is it these days?
"Well, Ryan Giggs, Ole Gunnar, Mikael Silvestre and obviously Fabien have played the most games. They've not missed much football at all. Generally it's unusual for Ryan to be one of the highest appearance makers simply because he's tended to get injuries over the years. But we seem to have straightened it out now and the kind of work that Robert Swire does with Ryan is certainly helping him in terms of keeping fit."
When there are injuries in the squad, the versatile player becomes the manager's best friend. It must be great having people like John O'Shea, Phil Neville and Mikael Silvestre around the place…
"You need versatile players, players who can play in a few positions like Phil Neville.
"Mikael Silvestre has had some great games at left-back and at centre-back. It’s a terrific option to have. Wes Brown has had some injuries and so has Rio Ferdinand, for the first time in his life. So players like Mikael who are always fit and ready to play are invaluable.
"Since this is Laurent’s last season in football, we are working to make sure we are strong in that position. We’ve got Wes, Rio and John O’Shea, or I can play O’Shea at right-back and who knows, he may even be a midfield player at times. He played in centre midfield at Burnley and was absolutely superb. He's got great balance, he's quick, he's got a lot going for him. We thought the experience of playing him in there was worthwhile and he came through with flying colours."
And he played the defence-splitting ball for Diego's goal at Burnley…
"Exactly. He can pass the ball, there's no question about that, the boy's a terrific passer. He set up Diego very well for the goal."
It's ironic that one of your fellow managers, Gerard Houllier, has been getting stick in the press for moving players around. Squad rotation is obviously a hard trick to pull off…
"It's not easy but if you look at the season and the number of games we play now, not just at club level but also internationals, then you have to give players a break when the opportunity arises. And Gerard has got the experience to know when that is. Because it's not working for him at the moment doesn't mean to say it's wrong. He could put down the successful season when he won the treble of the UEFA Cup, League Cup and FA Cup to doing that. That's probably the main reason why he won the treble. It's just a press thing again, the press blowing up something which is not really accurate."
Mr Houllier's critics are suggesting that a settled team would be his best way forward…
"I would not dispute the fact that a settled team does work. There's no question about that, we're seeing that at this very moment in time. But you can't play the same eleven throughout the whole season. It's impossible."
And a truly great player (like Steven Gerrard) should be able to play in a number of positions, surely...
"I’m not sure about that. There are some players who are adaptable by their own mental attitude to things. For instance, the best for me was Brian McClair. I could have Brian on the bench and I’d say, ‘Right, go and play at right-back for the last fifteen minutes.’ He’d just laugh! His attitude was fantastic, he just wanted to get on that pitch. And it wouldn’t have mattered if I had played him in goal, I would have got the same out of Brian in any position. It's a mental thing, how players adapt to that."
Brian is now coaching the youth team with some success, not least in the FA Youth Cup...
"Yes, I watched them in the last round at Newcastle and they played very well. They deserved their victory. It was a terrible pitch for both teams, I must say… it was a rugby pitch and it played like one!"
Do you have high hopes for the Youth Cup this season?
"Yes, I think they could get a good run in that. The thing about youth tournaments, as we’ve experienced over the years, is that you need a good strong goalkeeper. Fortunately we’ve got three this year at that age in Tom Heaton, Tommy Lee and Luke Steele. That can make a difference.
"You also need a team that can cope physically with bigger boys who look much older than they are. Newcastle’s youth team had a centre-forward who was about six feet fifteen, he’s from Ghana, and they say he’s eighteen! You get that in the Youth Cup. I remember once a youth team came to play us with players who were all over six feet tall. It’s a big advantage at that age."
I notice that you have registered a few youth players in the Champions League squad. Chris Eagles is the latest to make the list, so what can you tell us about him?
"We registered Chris for Europe because he’s not been with the club for two years. All the other youth players have been with us for two years but Chris is only in his first year. You’re allowed to have 25 players registered for Europe. So that’s one of the reasons, but he’s a good exciting young talent. He’s growing at the moment, he’s going to be a big boy and he’s got a lot going for him. He’s well balanced, he’s quick, has a good idea of the game, good skills… he’s going to be a good player."
Of course, three young players - Kieran Richardson, Daniel Nardiello and Mads Timm - have already had their first taste of the Champions League, against Maccabi Haifa...
"As we had already qualified, I felt it was right to pick younger players and give them an opportunity to play in Europe. I wasn’t going to miss that opportunity. Unfortunately, it rebounded on us even though in the first half we could have been three or four up. And of course, the press made a real meal of it. You have to accept that’s going to happen and make sure you stay focused on what it is you’re trying to achieve. We were trying to achieve the right thing, to give players experience."
The press also made a meal of the Derby defeat at Maine Road. But I should imagine you were just as frustrated by the 1-1 draws with Aston Villa, Fulham and West Ham...
"The Fulham game was disappointing because Arsenal and Liverpool also drew that day. When your immediate rivals drop points, it is important that you win your game. That’s the kind of thing which can put the pressure on. But it wasn’t to be.
"As for West Ham, although they equalised with only four minutes to go, I think they deserved their draw. They worked very hard, they put a lot into their game and I think we just sat back a little. We’d made a few changes and maybe the new formation brought about a certain caution in the second half and it cost us really.
"The Aston Villa game was the worst performance of the season for me. We were very, very flat that day. We had just travelled back from Olympiakos and it was a terrible journey time-wise, travelling in Athens to and from the hotel to the airport, to and from the hotel to the stadium for training and for the game. It was a complete nightmare of a trip and I think you saw that in the match against Villa."
The form has since improved of course and the goals have been flowing again. What's changed since the low-scoring days of August and September?
"I think we’re now taking our chances and we’re maybe getting the little breaks that we weren’t getting earlier in the season. That happens in football. In the early period, we seemed to get penalty appeals turned down in every game. But you know that eventually these things even themselves out and maybe it’s now our turn to get the breaks."
And you’ve got not just one but three strikers who can score goals for fun…
"You need that and over the years we’ve always had that. The four strikers we had in 1999, when they contributed, they contributed not only in performance but also by goals and that was the great benefit of having the four of them because they could all score."
Did you choose to make do with three strikers this season?
"No, we would have liked to have a fourth one in. But I also knew that I've got the option of playing Scholesy up there or Ryan Giggs, I've got young Daniel Nardiello coming through so it's not so bad. But obviously we'd have liked another one."
Is it simply a case now of choosing a partner for Ruud?
"Well, we have used the option of Diego and Ole Gunnar and there's nothing wrong with that combination. But in the context of a long season, you're going to have to spread the load."
Diego became a real United hero when he scored both goals in the 2-1 win at Liverpool. How did you assess that victory?
"Those games are always difficult, they can turn any which way and we got a little break when their goalkeeper made a mistake. But I felt at that time we were starting to get the upper hand and I think the team played very well.
"Fabien made a wonderful save for us. The ball must have bent about a yard when Hamann hit it and it looked like a top corner job but Fabien’s speed got him across to it and it was a vital save."