Preston V Man Utd - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game live.Grayson targeting Man Utd double
Simon Grayson is looking to pull off a notable double when Manchester United visit Preston in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Monday.
Grayson was the manager of Leeds five years ago when they stunned United 1-0 in the third round, ending a near 30-year wait for a victory at Old Trafford.
It is 43 years since Preston have faced the Red Devils and more than 55 years since their last win but, having done it once, Grayson sees no reason why he cannot oversee another shock.
He said: "Every time I go to Leeds people remind me about it
It's a different football club, different personnel, but I'll draw from the experience and what a great feeling it was to win at Old Trafford that day.
"You don't get the opportunity to do that very often
I want to try to replicate that if possible
You have to have that belief that you can do it."
Leeds' match-winner, Jermaine Beckford, rejoined his old manager on loan from Bolton in November but his chances of more heroics have been scuppered by an ear infection.
"It's affected his balance and he's been having dizzy spells
It actually might make him a little bit brighter and better as a person but he'll be unavailable for the game unfortunately," said Grayson with a smile.
"It would have been a fantastic fairytale if he'd been available for us
We were contemplating trying to sign Jonny Howson to find him with a pass!"
Not that Preston are short of a goal threat.
At 37, Kevin Davies remains a player more than capable of making life uncomfortable for Premier League defences while Paul Gallagher's five goals make him the competition's leading scorer this season.
But it is Joe Garner of whom United will probably be most wary.
The 26-year-old has scored 14 times this season, including a brace against Chesterfield on Tuesday on his first start since suffering a shin injury in November.
Grayson said: "I'm sure if Manchester United's players are not aware of him at this moment, come Monday night they will be because he ruffles a few feathers."
Should Preston pull off the upset, it would be fitting timing, with the game coming just two days after the first anniversary of the death of their greatest ever player, Sir Tom Finney.
Finney was in the team when North End reached the final in 1954, 16 years after they lifted the trophy for the second and last time.
"This football club has got fantastic history and tradition," said Grayson
"It's quite poignant that this weekend is the first anniversary of his death so it would be a fantastic way to mark what he did for this football club."
The Preston boss, meanwhile, is also preparing to take part in a bicycle ride from London to Amsterdam in June in aid of Prostate Cancer UK.
Grayson's best friend, Stephen Garbett, died from the disease last September.
Ashley Young is sure Manchester United did not make an expensive mistake when they broke the British transfer record to sign Angel di Maria for B#59.7million last summer.
United made a bold statement of intent when they smashed the transfer record by almost B#10million to sign Di Maria from Real Madrid.
The early signs were good
Di Maria dazzled with his pace and trickery and his terrific chip over Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel is one of the best goals United have scored this season.
Di Maria's performances faded slightly thereafter, however, and he then struggled to recover from a hamstring problem towards the end of 2014.
Young has been a fan of the Argentinian midfielder for some time now, though, and he remains convinced United made a clever move by signing him last summer.
"Angel was a fantastic signing," Young told United Uncovered.
"Real Madrid have other top players in their team, like Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, but he was the one who stood out for me in that team last season.
"When you add quality to a squad that already has quality it can only help us.
"We saw in the first couple of days in training just how good a player Angel is and what we can expect from him
He was definitely a great signing for us."
United will be without Michael Carrick for Monday's fifth-round tie as he has suffered a setback in his recovery from a calf injury.
Daley Blind looks set to continue in the holding midfield role, provided that he recovers from the head injury he suffered in the 3-1 win over Burnley.
Van Gaal will make a late call on Robin van Persie, who is suffering with an unspecified injury
Source : PA
Source: PA