Fergie confident of Ruud revival

Beijing Hyundai 0 Manchester United 3

The prolific Dutchman was off target again yesterday in the 3-0 win over Beijing Hyundai after a couple of glaring misses in Hong Kong on Saturday, blasting an excellent first-half chance badly wide after he had been set up by two-goal hero Paul Scholes.

Desperate to recover top form after last year’s miserable injury-hit campaign at times van Nistelrooy looks as though frustrations are starting to get the better of him.

However, Ferguson remains unconcerned and believes once the real action starts in a fortnight, with the first leg of a potentially hazardous Champions League qualifier, the former PSV Eindhoven striker will be a man to rely on.

“Ruud is not lacking in confidence,” said Ferguson.

“I thought he did very well. He will score goals this season, I have no worries about that.”

In a competitive game, United showed a lot of commitment and determination to win, assuring their visit will be remembered with far more fondness than that of recently-departed Real Madrid, whose apathetic attitude was condemned by the Chinese media. The annoyance with Real was cited as one of the reasons for a crowd of just 24,243, just over a third of the capacity.

One definite positive was the appearance of Cristiano Ronaldo as a half-time substitute. After missing the first part of the trip on compassionate grounds so he could visit his ill father in Madeira, Ronaldo quickly showed what had been missed.

His first attacking contribution was a blistering right-wing raid which took him past two Beijing defenders, followed by a perfect cross for Park Ji-Sung, who nodded home United’s third.

After that, Ronaldo produced a miniature showcase of his tricks to delight the crowd and possibly convince Glazer the Red Devils have a marketing tool which one day will get somewhere near the phenomenon of David Beckham.

Park’s effort, his first for the club, capped another fine performance and already it looks as though left-wing rival Ryan Giggs might be struggling for a place in the league opener with Everton.

Given the huge number of midfield options Ferguson has at his disposal, the same might also have been said of Paul Scholes before the game. Typically, the former England international rose to the challenge, converting a four-minute brace at the end of the opening period which ultimately sealed United’s win. His first effort, a glancing near-post header from Darren Fletcher’s cross, was a replica of many seen down the years. His second came courtesy of a van Nistelrooy volley which landed at his feet and presented him with an easy finish.

ARSENAL warmed up for the new season with a 3-0 victory over Dutch side Utrecht in Austria. Robert Pires opened the scoring from the penalty spot and substitute Jose Antonio Reyes, added a second in the 54th minute. Henry grabbed the third with 13 minutes to go.

Friendly result: GAIS 3 Aston Villa 3.