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Ferguson banking on Rio as Vidic doubts grow

Rio Ferdinand is likely to be fresh for Milan after serving a domesic ban © Getty Images

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Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping Rio Ferdinand can retain his fitness as Nemanja Vidic's future looks far from certain at Manchester United.

Ferdinand looks likely to feature for United against AC Milan on Tuesday night after serving three matches of his four-match domestic ban for a swipe at Hull's Craig Fagan on his comeback from injury last month.

Ferguson has yet to make a final decision on whether Ferdinand will feature at the San Siro. The United boss knows it is essential that the centre-back is 100% fit for the match, and he has stressed the importance of keeping Ferdinand clear of injury for the remainder of the campaign given the vast number of issues he has had with defenders so far this season.

"I certainly hope he is all right until the end of the season," he said. "We have done a lot of work and he has, too. Even non-sportsmen know how difficult back injuries can be but he has had no problem since he started back ten weeks ago.

"He has done his core work, which has helped him and he will probably start. We have to make a decision about whether he is able to play [against Milan]. There's nothing wrong with him mentally but he has had his injury."

Nemanja Vidic has not travelled to Italy for the game and rumours have resurfaced that he is set to be sold to Real Madrid in the summer.

Ferguson suggested that he felt he would have liked to have included Vidic in his squad for the match when he said: "It's a difficult one. He thinks he feels he needs a lot of training. He has been training the last few days but doesn't feel he is ready to take part in games. That's something we just feel we have to be patient with, which we are at the moment."

Asked whether Vidic would be leaving Old Trafford in the summer, he said: "I can't answer that question simply because it's pure speculation. We get that from time to time and we have to deal with it, I suppose. A lot of clubs want to buy our players and we have to deal with that situation.

"Of course we want him to stay. He is a great player, one of the best centre-backs in the world."

Milan coach Leonardo must decide whether to hand David Beckham a start against his former club.

''Not conceding is always an objective, but we are also a team who try to score goals and to change our identity gets complicated,'' he said. ''This desire to score goals is inherent; it is our identity.

''To try and find the balance between not conceding and to hurt them I believe is ideal.''

Lyon v Real Madrid
Real Madrid will attempt to put themselves in a position to end five years of Champions League disappointment when they take on Lyon in the first leg of their last-16 tie at Stade Gerland.

Madrid have failed to reach the quarter-finals of this competition since the 2003-04 campaign, since when they have been dumped out at the last-16 stage in successive years by Juventus, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Roma and, most recently, Liverpool.

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