STEVE Harper has assured Graeme Souness he is ready to face Sporting Clube de Portugal should Shay Given fail to shake off a hip injury.

Harper lined up against Tottenham on Sunday in Given's absence, but he was forced to hold his hands up after the game after his miskicked clearance resulted in Jermain Defoe scoring the only goal of the game.

But with Given still rated as doubtful, Harper says he won't be suffering a hangover from White Hart Lane if he is required to face the Portuguese.

"I suppose you could liken it to falling off your bike - if you fall off the bike and don't get back on it for a while, it is always going to be dwelling in your mind," said Harper.

"You just want to get back on it and get back out there.

"It is gone now, it is history. Obviously Sunday night and Monday were difficult, but you wake up on Tuesday morning and you look forward to the next game and it may well be Thursday night.

"I enjoyed it but for the one thing. It was just a bit of a scuff which hit the lad and went straight to Jermain Defoe.

"It was a poor clearance and a bit of bad luck, but if you dwell upon it, then you are going to take it
into the next game.

"You cannot look back, you have to look forward and if I am called upon on Thursday or Sunday, there is no point dwelling on the past, you look to the future and do your job.

"With Shay, you can never rule him out. Shay could even grow another muscle by Thursday and recover - he has done things like that in the past.

"They do not call him Lazarus for no reason.

"But we shall see, and if I am called upon, then I will be ready, believe me."

Harper knows United face a tough test against Sporting, and added: "It is a big game and it will be a very tough game as well.

"Lisbon showed us last week that they are a good side. They had a lot of possession and that shows it will be even tougher over here.

"But we have got a few players available who were not available for the last game, people coming back from injury, so I think we have got a very good chance.

"They play with a very patient approach. Middlesbrough gave them a very tough game in Lisbon, so hopefully we can do the same.

"We have always got the power to score goals - we look like we could score goals wherever we play, so if we get a goal, we make it even more difficult for them.