Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has hinted that he may employ Michael Carrick as an emergency defender at the start of this season.

Ferguson, who spent much of last season switching his back four around due to injuries, has once again found himself short of recognised defenders.

Carrick played in defence during United's penalty loss to Barcelona last night, and Ferguson is considering using him in the same role until he has more defenders at his disposal.

"Smalling is out for three months. Jones got a muscle injury in his back and was sent home from Norway, so the area we're concerned about is centre-back. Evans won't be ready for the start of the season. He won't be far away, but he won't be ready," he told the club's official website.

"Smalling is out and I can't give you an update with Jones because we've not fully diagnosed that.

"But Michael Carrick was absolutely brilliant [in Sweden] with his passing the ball and his interceptions. He was fantastic."

United's Premier League campaign gets underway against Everton on Monday, August 20.