Cup of glory awaits the Devils

Manchester United can turn the clock back to the halcyon days of Eric Cantona on Saturday, when the champions bid to complete a Premier League and FA Cup double at the expense of Chelsea.
Thirteen years after United did the Double by trouncing Chelsea 4-0 at Wembley, having won the league two weeks previously, Alex Ferguson’s side can repeat the feat in a historic first final at the new Wembley Stadium.
Cantona, who converted two penalties, Steve Bruce, Mark Hughes, Roy Keane and Peter Schmeichel were all part of a great United side in 1994, along with a 20-year-old Ryan Giggs.
Giggs returns to northwest London as the sole survivor of that side – notably with Bruce, Hughes and Keane all pitting their wits against Ferguson as Premier League managers next season.
United are once again a potent attacking threat but Hughes and Cantona’s places have gone to Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, who have scored 23 goals each this season and set the domestic game alight.
Giggs and Paul Scholes have also made vital contributions from the final third in terms of goals and assists as United topped the goalscoring charts with ease.
All should be available on Saturday as United’s front-wheel drive machine is pointed at Chelsea, whose two years of league title domination has now been ended.
To beat them in the FA Cup final would further underline United’s superiority this season and strike a psychological blow before Chelsea can re-group for next season’s hostilities.
It would also bring United their 12th FA Cup and sixth under the indefatigable Ferguson, who celebrated a memorable 20th year at the helm in November.
Though both sides bowed out of the Champions League semi-finals, United look to be in slightly better shape after suffering a run of injuries at the back.
Serbian centre-half Nemanja Vidic has returned and stand-in left-back Kieran Richardson is also available, though doubts remain over skipper and right-back Gary Neville.
Mentally, Neville believes United are well-equipped to match the achievements of Cantona and Co, despite the absence of such commanding figures in the side.
“The 1993-94 team had an incredible amount of strong characters, powerful individuals, but does this team not have character?” he told The Times last week.
“Does (winning at) Liverpool away not prove character? Coming from behind at Everton? Did they not take guts? Maybe we show our courage in a different way but it is there, believe me.”