IN LIGHT of Middlesbrough's latest injury woe, Franck Queudrue has reassured manager Steve McClaren that he is ready, willing and more than capable of filling the void at the heart of the defence.

Boro head into tomorrow evening's date with one of the Premiership's most feared strikeforces bereft of two of their most influential defenders.

When the injury-plagued Ugo Ehiogu suffered another setback at Everton on Wednesday night, when he left the ground on crutches after jarring his knee, he joined captain Gareth Southgate on the casualty list.

Boro have to try to work out a way of dealing with Manchester United's formidable forward line - Wayne Rooney and Ruud van Nistelrooy - without their wise defensive heads.

Queudrue showed at Goodison Park, where Boro kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win, that he has the versatility to play on the left of a three-man central defence and that could be an option McClaren sticks with tomorrow.

With Chris Riggott the only other defender to have plenty of experience behind him, teenagers Matthew Bates and David Wheater are both in contention for places, while 38-year-old Colin Cooper could be used as back-up.

But left-back Queudrue is convinced Boro, even without Ehiogu and Southgate, still have the players to keep United quiet at the Riverside Stadium, even if he has to play out of position again.

"There's only one manager, one man who takes responsibility of picking the team. You have to accept whatever he says and play wherever you are asked to," said the Frenchman.

"The fact the injuries keep happening means we have been unlucky and I'm being asked to play different roles, but what can you do?

"Ugo's knee jarred and there's not much you can do when things like that happen. They are happening all too often at the moment for us.

"If it means me playing in the middle and Emanuel (Pogatetz) playing left-back then so be it. I am happy to play in that position, although I would prefer to play left-back.

"United will be coming to us desperate to win after a couple of poor results in the league. If we can defend like we did at Everton then Manchester United will find it difficult to break us down. We are proving that we can play different systems and to keep a clean sheet against them is a good possibility. We are all confident."

Sections of Boro's supporters have started to question the direction the club is heading after a mediocre opening to the Premiership this season.

Defeat to West Ham last Sunday, when goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer was wrongly adjudged to have helped the ball over the line, led to the Teessiders dropping further down the table, including being overtaken by North-East neighbours Newcastle.

Regardless of league form, Boro are still unbeaten in Europe and they progressed through to round four of the Carling Cup on Wednesday night - meaning they have lost just two in ten matches.

Queudrue admits there have been a few games where they have not performed to their best but insists the whole squad are confident of transforming cup form into the league.

"The defeat at West Ham was frustrating, especially the way the goal was allowed when it should not have been. But sometimes things like that happen in football," he said.

"You just have to try to forget about it. The mood is good in the dressing room and we know we are capable of things. I think we are showing that even though at times we are criticised.

"At Everton we knew they were a team of hard workers and we would get a hard game from them. It's always important to match teams like that and we did it. Manchester United will be hard working but they also have that extra bit of quality which we will have to look out for.

"If we can be solid again at the back that will give us something to build from. It only takes a goal to win a game and Jimmy (Floyd Hasselbaink) showed that at Everton."

Midfielders George Boateng and Gaizka Mendieta will both be in the squad after being rested against Everton in the cup.

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