SAF expects Rio to face Gunners

Sir Alex Ferguson is optimistic Rio Ferdinand will be fit for Manchester United's top-of-the-table clash with Arsenal on Monday night.

Ferdinand went off five minutes into the second-half of Tuesday night's 1-1 draw with Valencia after experiencing a tight hamstring.

It immediately sparked concern that the 31-year-old could be ruled out for an extended period just as United are about to tackle their major Premier League title rivals.

But Ferguson is not too concerned.

He feels it was the correct decision for Ferdinand to come off and with six days to prepare the England skipper, Ferguson is confident the defender will face Arsene Wenger's men.

"Rio has a tight hamstring," he said.

"He felt it at half-time. He wanted to try it but it still felt tight.

"We weren't prepared to take a chance. There was no point because we had Chris Smalling to come on.

"He has six days and I am sure he will be okay for Monday."

Ferguson was satisfied with United's performance, even though they wasted a lot of chances and were forced to come from behind after Pablo Hernandez had put Valencia in front with the first goal the Red Devils had conceded in this season's competition.

With Dimitar Berbatov repeatedly denied by Vicente Guaita and Wayne Rooney striking the crossbar with a magnificent curling effort, it was left to Anderson to earn a point which ensured top spot in Group C and a favourable seeding in next Friday's draw.

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It was only the Brazilian's second goal in 109 United appearances, a record Ferguson feels he should improve upon.

"He should score more," he said.

"The boy has terrific talent. He has great pace and power. He is a strong boy.

"We are pleased he got a goal. It may help him."

United now know they will avoid Barcelona and Real Madrid in the first knockout round, although holders Inter Milan, currently managed by Rafael Benitez, lie in wait.

"It is always good to be first. That is important. We will avoid the bigger names, although they will come eventually," said Ferguson.

The United boss was full of praise for Rooney, whose improvement continues even if he is still to score his first goal in open play since last March.

Ferguson was also pleased with 20-year-old keeper Ben Amos, who gradually eased himself into only his third senior appearance.

"His best moments were in the second half," said Ferguson.

"He was a little bit nervous in the first, which you expect. He is only a kid.

"But he did very well in the second. He composed himself well considering we had so many young players at the back."

Having watched his side get into a winning position, manager Unai Emery was disappointing to have to settle for a point.

However, he was happy with the overall performance.

He said: "We played well.

"It was a chance to measure our ability and we were very close to winning the game.

"They had a lot of chances to score but we fought hard and the draw was a fair result.

"I feel we can take a lot of optimism from this game into the remainder of the competition."