Cris back for United against Villarreal

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo will make his long-awaited comeback against Villarreal in the Champions League tomorrow night.

The Manchester United manager said the Portugal winger would play some part in United's opening match of their European campaign after recovering from an ankle operation in July.

Ferguson will be without Michael Carrick, who has broken his foot, and revealed that Dimitar Berbatov is likely to also miss the match with a knee injury. However, Ferguson said Berbatov's fitness would have no bearing on his decision to recall Ronaldo.

"He [Ronaldo] will certainly be involved," the manager said. "Whether he will be starting or not will not be determined by the fitness of other players. It's still a major decision but I would think it is more likely he will start on the bench."

Ferguson dismissed suggestions that the player could be abused by fans after his flirtation with Real Madrid over the summer.

"I don't think there are any concerns about that," Ferguson said. "The fans understand the situation, that he was a young man tempted by the lure of money, but since we told him our decision he has accepted it well and his training has been fantastic.

"He had said that he would like to go to Real Madrid, but once we had our meeting, that was all finished. He accepted our decision and just got on with it and there hasn't been one problem since.

"And in terms of his injury, he has been one of the best patients I've ever seen. He has been working hard, every day until 5pm, and he has shown a real determination to get back and play for us.

"He has shown fantastic maturity over the last few weeks. There has been no pettiness, no chucking toys out of the pram. He has worked hard every day and his recovery is a credit to him and the physios."

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