| Manchester United's Carlos Tevez feels having Cristiano Ronaldo back is like gaining an extra player ahead of Wednesday's visit of Villarreal.Ronaldo is set for a place on the substitutes' bench for the Champions League Group E opener at Old Trafford, barely two months after ankle surgery which Sir Alex Ferguson felt might keep him on the sidelines until October. With Michael Carrick ruled out for up to six weeks with a broken foot and Dimitar Berbatov a major doubt after picking up a knee injury at Liverpool at the weekend, Ronaldo's return could not be better timed, particularly as Chelsea will have John Terry available for Sunday's Premier League blockbuster at Stamford Bridge after a successful appeal against his red card received at Manchester City. "Cristiano is a massive player for us and it's great to have him on our side," said Tevez. "It's like having an extra player when he's there because he's such a danger to our opponents. "It will be a big boost to have him back." With Ronaldo absent and Wayne Rooney's best performance of the season coming in an England shirt, Tevez has been United's most obvious attacking threat so far. The Argentina forward scored the Red Devils' early goal at Liverpool on Saturday, so it is little wonder Ferguson wants to tie up a £30million deal for Tevez, who confirmed he would happily accept. "From the first moment I came here, I would have loved to sign a long-term contract," he said. "Last year was a very happy season and it would be wonderful if the chairman put a long-term contract in front of me. "If he did that, I would sign it without a doubt." Tevez is confident there will be no repeat of the lamentable performance from the European champions at Liverpool, which drew such stinging criticism from Ferguson. The Scot claimed United's defending was no better than non-league standard and something no-one at Old Trafford expected to see again. "Whenever we lost a game last season, we came back and showed ourselves to be stronger," said Tevez. "That was the reason we won two titles last year. I'm sure we'll see a reaction from the players tonight." Having gained his second Champions League success in Moscow last May, Ferguson knows he will equal Bob Paisley's record of three triumphs in European football's most prestigious competition if United can become the first team to successfully defend the trophy since the Champions League format was introduced in 1992. However, of more interest to the Scot is taking United's overall tally to four, moving them alongside European giants Bayern Munich and Ajax and just one adrift of Liverpool. "Personal goals do not come into it at all," said Ferguson. "But I've said often enough that we should have won the European Cup more often and I hope we can win it again. "That would take us to four and would be a far more acceptable record in Europe. "That is the challenge and would create a bit more history for our club." |
發表於 2008-9-18 01:00 AM
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