And Keen says cup starters have given Clarke food for thought ahead of United trip
KEVIN Keen has revealed Nicolas Anelka and Victor Anichebe both missed last night’s Capital One Cup third-round tie with Arsenal due to minor niggles.But the joint-assistant head coach expects both strikers to be fit for Saturday’s Barclays Premier League trip to champions Manchester United (ko 3pm).
And he insists the performance of several players against the Gunners has given Steve Clarke some welcome selection headaches ahead of the Old Trafford encounter.
“Victor’s just got a slight niggle, which meant he couldn’t be involved tonight," said Keen.
“But we’re pretty sure he’ll be fine for this weekend - Anelka too, it’s not a big problem.”
He added: “Everyone is coming in today and we’ll have a look and see how everyone is feeling.
“We’ve got five or six, maybe seven, fresh bodies straight away with Jonas, Gaz, Billy, etc.
“But the back-four last night played very well so they’ll be pushing for places as well.”