Manchester United keeper Anders Lindegaard claims it is far too early to build Sunday's derby clash with Manchester City into a title decider.With both clubs blazing a trail at the top of the Premier League, this weekend's fixture at Old Trafford has been eagerly anticipated for weeks.
And as Champions League commitments are now out of the way, the red and blue halves of a divided city can give their full attention to one of the most important derby encounters for a long time. Yet that statement glosses over the fact that City and United have met in major cup semi-finals in each of the last two years, which were hardly insignificant. "There is no doubt it is going to be a tight race this year." Not that he expects the hype to extend to United's Carrington training ground. Although his own experiences were at a much lower level in Denmark and Norway, the thing which struck Lindegaard when he joined from Aalesunds in January was the focus Ferguson and his staff devote to every game. So, if it were not for the dressing room chatter and information gleaned from the media, no-one would actually know City were coming to town.
"I prepare the same, whether it is a training game in the United States or a Champions League game in Romania or Portugal. That is part of the job of being a goalkeeper. "One of the important steps to success is always to be focused and concentrated." United may not find out until next week what the final punishment for Nemanja Vidic's red card will be. Just as was the case with Wayne Rooney and England, the governing body has discretionary powers.
