Paul Scholes has promised to give manager Sir Alex Ferguson every ounce of effort as Manchester United battle with a growing injury list.

The 34-year-old's contribution will be vital tonight with United missing 12 first-team squad members for the visit to West Brom.

As a veteran of eight previous title-winning campaigns, Scholes's experience in the middle of the pitch is going to prove vital.

"My desire to win more trophies is still strong," he said.

"Manchester United is a massive club that demands that you win things. If you are just happy to go along and not earn medals there is no point in you being here.

"We are almost at the end of January now and in a great position to be successful this season. Hopefully we can see it through."

Victory over West Brom, where keeper Edwin van der Sar is seeking an 11th consecutive Premier League clean sheet, would consolidate United's position at the top, although just finding a team will be hard enough for Ferguson.

Darren Fletcher is expected to start at right-back, with Ryan Giggs adding an element of freshness to a midfield that was far too good for Tottenham at the weekend.

Scholes should be involved as well, although both his appearances and manner of his game are more limited now than they used to be.

His goal against Spurs was his first of the season and he added: "As you get older, you don't play as often, which is the manager's way of looking after you and getting the best out of you.

"I don't go forward or score goals like I used to or would like to. We probably saw the end of those bursts into the penalty area about two years ago."