When all is Red and done...
ALEX FERGUSON will welcome Rio Ferdinand back into the Manchester United fold on Monday and he insists the Red Devils' results will improve once he can field a settled back four.
United have mustered just six points from their opening five Premiership games this season and were unconvincing on Wednesday when they were forced to fight back from a two-goal half-time deficit to grab a draw from their Champions League encounter with Lyon.
Of the defence that started in France, only left-back Gabriel Heinze can be sure of his place against Liverpool and, while Ferguson refused to reveal whether Ferdinand will start, it seems likely the £29m man will partner either Wes Brown or Mikael Silvestre in the heart of United's rearguard.
And, once Ferdinand has re-established himself and Gary Neville returns from his fractured knee cap, the United boss is convinced the Old Trafford outfit will start to recover their old invincibility.
"What we need is to get a consistent back four playing again," said the United boss. "We have proved in the past that once we get that continuity and understanding with each other the clean sheets follow. It is what we had with the team that won the Double in 1994 and we had it again last year until Rio was suspended.
"The results we had during those times testify how important a settled defence is and that is what we are looking for now. Rio is available again and once Gary Neville gets back, then you will see the results change."
Ferguson has nothing but praise for the way Ferdinand has handled his enforced exile, earning comparisons with Eric Cantona, who also returned against Liverpool after serving a similar length ban for his infamous kung-fu kick at Selhurst Park in 1995.
"Rio has done fantastically well," said Ferguson. "There are obvious similarities with Eric Cantona because they both needed a lot of patience and sacrifice to get through. Although he has been training every day, he hasn't had the joy of playing on a Saturday. That is a big loss for a football - that is what he is there for. What we have tried to do with Rio is treat the situation in the same vein as you would do if he had a major injury.
"Obviously Eric missed a long period of time, but others like Wes Brown, Roy Keane and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have missed whole seasons because of injury.
"It is not an easy situation to deal with but you have to try look at it in the same manner and look forward to the day you can come back."
Ferdinand has also revealed his determination to repay Ferguson for the faith he has shown in him.
He said: "There is definitely a debt of honour to repay the boss and I intend to repay him by putting in top-class performances. I've been doing extra training and have probably worked harder than I did when I was playing because you are not keeping back energy for games.
"I have been training harder than ever so that when I do return, I can hit the ground running. I really started training with a purpose when we came back for pre-season.
"The club brought in a new fitness coach, Valter di Salvo, and because I have not been playing, he has been running me into the ground. He has worked at Lazio and Real Madrid, so he has worked with the best - and we all feel comfortable and confident in what we are doing.
"The training will hopefully pay off later in the season. Now, I just can't wait to start playing again."
Ferdinand continued: "I don't think I let the side down. It was a mistake I made and one which has proved very costly, but at a club like United, we are expected to cope with anyone missing from the team.
"Other people were injured and suspended, so to put it down to just me is the easy way out. It has been very frustrating to be out for as long as I have been, no matter if you are out injured or because of my situation.
"I want to be out there helping the team but I knew the situation I was in and just said to myself, 'I have got to deal with it'.
"There have been positives - I have never had more than three weeks off at a time since I was 16, so to have eight months off and six weeks of resting in the summer can only be beneficial. I have also been able to analyse my game and try to improve on things. When I come back, hopefully people will see a much better player."
Acutely aware of the importance of Monday's encounter, Ferguson is eager for the game not to be totally overshadowed by Ferdinand's return.
It is one of the major reasons why the Scot will not confirm whether the 25-year-old will start as Rafael Benitez brings his new-look team to Old Trafford for the first time.
"Rio has been training every day," said Ferguson. "He has probably missed four or five days when he has been to see his lawyer in London but other than that he has not missed a session through illness or injury during the entire time he has been out.
"Obviously, we have a major decision to make but what I want to avoid is all the hype before Monday. At the end of the day Manchester United have a serious game to play against Liverpool.
"Anything other than that, including the players who might play is co-incidental, compared to the importance of the match."
After claiming only Heinze, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo reached the standards required of a Manchester United player on Wednesday, Ferguson's team selection is awaited with eager anticipation.
Goalkeeper Tim Howard knows his place is at risk from Roy Carroll, while Phil Neville and Alan Smith will also be hopeful of a return to the starting line-up after second-half substitute appearances.
One man unlikely to be involved though is Louis Saha, who has not trained this week after failing to recover from his recent knee injury.
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