After being injured against Inter Milan, Manchester United defender Jonny Evans is desperate to play in Sunday's Carling Cup final against Tottenham.

"It's not nice to even think about it," said Evans as he considered the prospect of being consigned to the Wembley stands.

"The manager has tried to tell me if I miss it, it's no big thing, but I would be quite gutted.

"I suppose my chances are the same as last night.

"In a way, that game was more important because there weren't many other options.

"That won't be the case on Sunday. But hopefully the manager will allow me to have a few more injections."

As Ferguson has had only three orthodox central defenders in his squad for most of this season, when Wes Brown's own injury curse has returned, and Rio Ferdinand has not even made the Carling Cup bench this term, Evans would be a certainty to play at Wembley, with either Nemanja Vidic or Gary Neville alongside him.

It would be another important stride forward for a player who has now made 22 appearances this campaign, when he was expecting to make less than half that figure.

"I wasn't expecting to play anywhere near that number," admitted Evans.

"I got a game or two early in the season but it was when Rio Ferdinand got injured during the Club World Cup in Japan that we really got stuck for defenders and I got the opportunity to play a bit."