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Defender hopes for better luck
Manchester United, 16:37, July 20, 2010 ,
John O'Shea is hoping Manchester United will have more luck with injuries in the coming season as they look to win the Premier League.
O'Shea has pinpointed last December as a crucial turning point in the race for the title in the campaign just gone as United lost two games to Aston Villa and Fulham at a time when fitness problems were starting to bite hard.
Seven defenders were ruled out through injury forcing Sir Alex Ferguson to field Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick in unfamilar roles.
Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, Jonny Evans, Rafael, Wes Brown, Fabio and O'Shea himself were all sidelined while Nemanja Vidic and goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar struggled on.
O'Shea said: 'Injuries were a key factor last season and we hope to avoid them this time around. I can never remember so many defenders being injured.
"But we still got so close to retaining the title - only a few lapses of concentration let us down in the end. Now we are all hungry to succeed again."