Fergie free of handshake fear

With Manchester United set to welcome old adversaries Liverpool to Old Trafford on Saturday, events before, during and after that contest are set to fall under the spotlight.

Should Suarez start for the visitors, he will be pitched into direct competition with Red Devils defender Evra for the first time since being charged with racially abusing the Frenchman.

Queens Park Rangers recently took the decision to cancel the usual pre-match handshakes ahead of their FA Cup clash with Chelsea in order to avoid further inflaming a race row involving Anton Ferdinand and John Terry.

Ferguson has given no indication that United will look to follow suit this weekend, with the Scot having shrugged off concerns regarding any lingering bad feeling between United and Liverpool and two of their more prominent figures.

Concentration

"I have not even thought about that," he said.

"It has never been an issue. We are concentrating on the game."

Liverpool have defended Suarez throughout his racism row and subsequent eight-match ban, but Ferguson has refused to be drawn into the debate ever since the issue surfaced back in October 2011.

That remains his stance, with the United boss reluctant to speak publicly about a matter that has already been handled by the relevant authorities.

He said: "We have kept our counsel, which was the right thing to do. We will keep it that way."