Before the first leg most United fans would have settled for a draw. Given the way the game panned out, was the team disappointed with a draw?
We were a little, yeah. We had a few chances to win the game and perhaps should have taken them. Had we done that then we’d be in a lot better position. But I still think a draw was a good result. Of course, we’d have preferred a score draw – that’s better than 0-0 – but we’re still in a good position and it gives us a good chance in the second leg. Now we know we’re capable of creating chances against Inter and at Old Trafford we’ll play with more pace and really attack them.
Your involvement was limited to seven minutes in the first leg. You must have been itching to get on when you saw the chances we were making…
Absolutely. Whenever you’re sitting on the bench you want to come on and get involved. I didn’t get too long in Milan but I was impressed with the way the team played without me so I can’t really complain too much!
Were you rested as a precaution or was it a tactical decision to leave you out?
My hamstring feels good but obviously I’d played 90 minutes a few days beforehand. It always pays to be a little bit cautious with a hamstring injury so if I’m honest I probably expected to be on the bench for that game.
Does it mean you’ll be doubly determined to make your mark on the tie at Old Trafford?
Of course. Hopefully I’ll play and by the time that game comes around we’ll have watched the video of the first leg and identified a few weaknesses of theirs that we can exploit. So we’ll set about trying to do that and unsettle them.
A lot was made before the first leg about how strong Inter Milan were. Did the game in Italy prove there’s nothing to be scared of?
I wouldn’t say that. They’re a good side, don’t get me wrong. But I thought we were a lot better at passing the ball and creating chances. They were a bit more direct than us, which was fine because we’re maybe used to that sort of play in the Premier League – we face a lot of teams who play like that. They’re a physical side but we coped well in Milan and I’m sure we’ll cope again at Old Trafford.
Both teams would have taken away positives from that first leg…
That’s right. Inter will know that if they score then that means we have to get two, so we’ll have to concentrate at the back. Hopefully we won’t concede – and we’ve been good at doing that this season – and then it’s up to the forwards to take some chances at the other end.
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