Football FanCast columnist Rob Facey wonders if United have what it takes to cope with a gruelling end to 2008 as injuries and fixtures start to pile up.

Manchester United may have a tough time retaining their Premier League and Champions League crowns when you consider the tremendously hard start they have been given.

Never ones to make things easy for themselves, their first eight fixtures in the league are against the teams that finished 2nd -9th behind them last season and their squad is looking shot already. While this is obviously nothing to do with United, it will test the team that Ferguson has hailed as his best ever.

“It’s a tough start,” said Darren Fletcher, as reported in The Times.

“But we look forward to the tough challenges and hopefully we will rise to them as we normally do.”

He’s not talking explicitly about United’s opening fixture, a disappointing draw at home to Newcastle in which he scored the equaliser, but perhaps of the exhausting timetable the club have before the year is out.

On top of their usual, six Champions League group games, three League Cup games and Premier League fixtures, not to mention players’ international commitments, United will face Zenit in Monaco next week for the European Super Cup before competing in the controversial World Club Championship in Tokyo in December.

On the surface, a fit and healthy Man United squad will have no problem dealing with the extra strain. But the truth is that the current state of affairs is anything but healthy.

Michael Carrick was the most recent to join the long list of injured players that includes Ronaldo, Rooney, Hargreaves, Park and Saha, which is a cause of concern considering United’s next three league games are visits to Portsmouth, Liverpool and Chelsea. Should any more injuries be picked up then the squad will be looking even more threadbare than it does at the moment.

This season will be gruelling for United. Their first eight fixtures in the league are against the teams that finished 2nd -9th behind them last season and their squad is looking shot already. Of course, this could work in United’s favour as they will have a majority of home fixtures after Christmas but if Chelsea have pulled far ahead by that stage they might be waving goodbye to their Premier League crown long before the season is out.

Is one striker enough cover for the squad or should Ferguson be looking to strengthen other areas? A striker is clearly the priority but perhaps added cover on the wings or in midfield would also be needed? Do United have what it takes to cope with a gruelling finale to 2008?