Fergie ponders Ruud options

Everton 0 Man Utd 2

After watching his FA Cup holders stroll past Everton to book their place in today's sixth round draw, Ferguson's thoughts immediately switched to Wednesday's crucial Champions League showdown with AC Milan - and whether he should send Ruud van Nistelrooy straight into battle.

Ferguson confirmed he never had any intention of playing the Dutchman at Goodison Park, despite claiming he was fit enough to make the trip.

Instead, van Nistelrooy spent the morning pushing his body through yet another training session as he continues his recovery from the Achilles problem that has kept him out of action since November.

Ferguson feels his star striker is fit enough to face Milan and has proved already this season, when Rio Ferdinand returned from an eight-month suspension against Liverpool, that he is not afraid to let players off the leash when an obvious lack of match practice might suggest a more cautious approach.

The question rolling round in Ferguson's mind is whether such a tactic should extend to the biggest game of United's season so far, even when it involves a man who has scored a staggering 36 goals in 37 European appearances for the Red Devils.

"Ruud will certainly be involved but clearly I have some big decisions to make," he said.

"We may be putting him in cold but he has been great in training and every time he plays in a European game, you just know he is going to score."

With Milan, despite the loss of their own star striker Andriy Shevchenko to a fractured cheekbone, virtually unbeatable at home and goals expected to be at a premium in the mouth-watering two-legged tussle, Ferguson looks certain to give van Nistelrooy his chance.

Such a move would mean the axe for at least one member of yesterday evening's starting line-up, presumably Quinton Fortune, the most expendable of United's offensive players despite the South African's first half opener.

Certainly Wayne Rooney can expect to be involved after an impressive show of restraint on his first return to his former club, even if Nigel Martyn twice denied him the goal he craved.

Rooney is currently in the best form of his fledgling United career, as is Cristiano Ronaldo, who defied an appalling surface to repeatedly trick his way through the Everton defence in a one-sided encounter that will be overshadowed by the deplorable coin-throwing incident in the stadium and the running battles that occurred in the streets of Liverpool after the final whistle.

"Cristiano was fantastic," purred Rio Ferdinand, who wore the captain's armband for the last nine minutes as Roy Keane put his feet up in readiness for Wednesday's encounter.

"He took the ball in tight situations, as quality players do, and made something happen."