Manchester United defender Gary Neville is poised to make his long-awaited return from injury when he plays for the reserves on Thursday.

Neville has been out since March with calf and ankle problems but he resumed training late last month.

Boss Sir Alex Ferguson said: "We are hoping to use Gary against Liverpool reserves this week. That's the plan.

Ryan Giggs has paid tribute to Gerard Pique, Danny Simpson and Anderson for their contributions in the 4-0 victory over Wigan.

"Pique came in at centre-half and did a good job, and so did Simmo," Giggs told the club's official website.

"They got two assists really, so overall it was a really good performance from them both."

Manchester United's attacking trio of Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney put their side top of the table for the first time this season.

United suffered two more injuries in the first half when Nemanja Vidic and John O'Shea had to go off, two substitutions that disrupted the champions' impressive early rhythm.

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Manchester United were a 'little lucky' to beat Roma.

Ferguson praised Tomasz Kuszczak on his Champions League debut, but admitted Roma failed to make the most of their chances.

"He was excellent. He made a couple of good saves and made a good block in the second half," Ferguson said.

Manchester United have been dealt a blow with the news that Owen Hargreaves requires another month on the sidelines.

The England international had been tipped to make his comeback in Tuesday's UEFA Champions League clash with Roma.

However, Hargreaves felt his knee in training on Monday and now United have opted to give him an injection in his knee.

Wayne Rooney confessed that Roma deserved a point for their performance at Old Trafford.

“I think Roma played really well tonight. We knew it was going to be more difficult than last season,” he told Sky Italia television.

“They played well and honestly the fair result was probably a draw, but we held on to the win.”

Wayne Rooney's first goal of the season fired Manchester United to victory against Roma at Old Trafford. Rooney broke the deadlock with a sharp 15-yard finish after he was set up by Nani to leave United three points clear at the top of Group F.

Sir Alex Ferguson is sweating on the fitness of Owen Hargreaves, Nemanja Vidic and Wes Brown as the Old Trafford boss looks to make it two wins from two in Europe this season.

Sir Alex Ferguson has no worries about Manchester United's attack, despite the fact that United have scored just seven goals in eight games so far this season!

He said: "All the front players have been slow to get on to their game - that's understandable with Wayne with his injury and Tevez missing pre-season.

Wayne Rooney is desperate for a win against Roma - to help Manchester United to Champions League Glory.

"I am desperate to get off the mark," said Wayne.

"It has been a disappointing start for myself getting injured. But I am happy to be back playing and have played three games now and hopefully I can start scoring again and help the team win."