VERON OUTED?

The bout of, er, flu that forced him to miss United's win at Anfield last weekend must surely have passed. But will Alex Ferguson back his belief in the Argentine, a policy he HAS to adopt, by restoring him to a depleted side?

The one argument in Veron's favour is this game is at home. Were it at Highbury, I have a feeling Veron's influenza might have been of the two-week - or perhaps "too weak" - variety.

He has already missed trips to Leeds and Charlton, where things tend to become a little hectic. Yet each time he was fit enough to play in both the preceding and subsequent fixtures.

But it was Ferguson's use of the rather fragile Argentine in last season's title run-in that revealed what the United boss might really think of his £28million signing.

From March 6 to May 8, United played 14 games, six at home and eight away. Veron played all six at Old Trafford but only ONE on the road.

Those fixtures included games at relegation-fighting Leicester and Ipswich, Leeds, Chelsea and finally West Ham, where United normally get the sink thrown at them.

This seems to say quite a lot about Veron's own competitive instincts. He was omitted at Anfield where an unlikely midfield of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Quinton Fortune, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs still proved too strong for achronically out-of-form Liverpool.

Arsenal, though, are a different matter. Can Ferguson risk as delicate a flower as Veron against Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva?

And is Wes Brown far enough into his comeback to cope with Thierry Henry, Sylvain Wiltord, Dennis Bergkamp and the improving Robert Pires?

Especially alongside Mikael Silvestre as Fergie surely will not gamble on Rio Ferdinand. Or David Beckham or Roy Keane, either.

So United, for once, go into the Premiership showpiece with the sort of injury-list that usually follows Arsenal to Old Trafford.

Last season the Gunners were without Bergkamp, Pires and Henry and the year before - the 6-1 annihilation - minus Bergkamp and an entire defence.