Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was named in the Chelsea side for possibly the final time today amid talk of a big-money move to Barcelona.
The Catalan giants are said to be discussing a Stg£6 million deal to take the Dutch striker to the Nou Camp but it wasn't enough to persuade Blues boss Claudio Ranieri to leave Hasselbaink out of his team to face Manchester United as second entertained third at Old Trafford.
Ranieri's decision meant there was no place in the starting line-up for veteran Italian Gianfranco Zola, pinpointed by Alex Ferguson as the chief danger man for the visitors, who travelled north boasting an enviable record at the Theatre of Dreams.
Chelsea have lost just three league games at Old Trafford in 35 years, although United did emerge triumphant on their most recent visit last month when Diego Forlan grabbed the only goal of a tense Worthington Cup quarter-final.
Forlan was on the bench today, joined by Ryan Giggs and Juan Sebastian Veron as Ferguson stuck with the side which defeated West Brom last Saturday.
The Manchester United boss emphasised the need for victory in his pre-match programme notes, but with Arsenal expected to gather three points from their home clash with West Ham tomorrow, it was likely to prove a pivotal weekend for the title race no matter what the result.