UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTER-FINALS, FIRST LEG: THERE IS a rising goalscorer who may make all the difference in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final with Porto this evening.

It is most likely that Federico Macheda will also be around somewhere. Cristiano Ronaldo, however, has scored four goals for United in his last three appearances and without the brace against Aston Villa there would have been no scope for the teenage debutant’s heroics in the 3-2 win.

Alex Ferguson has not lost sight of the contribution from the Portuguese. “He could have had four [against Villa],” said the manager, “and the goals are starting to come from him. There is that sense of the big occasion now. For Cristiano and the other top players it means hopefully they go into overdrive.”

Of course, there is speculation that Ronaldo’s momentum will take him out of Old Trafford. The attacker, seated beside Ferguson, pledged loyalty. “I am happy at this club,” he said. “I think this is the right club for me.”

Ronaldo even reflected on his debut for United, as a starry-eyed 18-year-old, in the last half-hour of a 4-0 victory over Bolton in August 2003.

Conjecture about Real and their prospects of buying Ronaldo will not disappear but there is stability for the moment.

The Portuguese was content to enjoy his seniority by advising Macheda to listen to “older players”.

Ronaldo remembers when he was the whelp being advised by established characters on how to cope with new-found fame on and off the pitch.

Know-how will be critical, too, in tonight’s game against opponents who have not been this far in the tournament since winning it under Jose Mourinho five years ago.

The memories are still searing for United of their elimination in 2004 by Porto in the last 16 at Old Trafford thanks to a last-minute equaliser from Costinha. The present squad cannot compare with Mourinho’s group but their inferiority can be exaggerated.

Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Porto at the Emirates was the lowest point of this campaign for Jesualdo Ferreira’s men. Ferguson will surely remind his squad that, in the end, Porto rallied to win that group ahead of Arsenal.

The United manager complimented these visitors on the knack for constant renewal of their squad with recruits from South America, including the well-regarded Brazilian attacker Hulk.

The vigour is likely to have flowed back into United after Macheda’s stoppage-time goal gave them victory over Aston Villa in the Premier League following defeats to Liverpool and Fulham.

Ferguson is so relaxed in the aftermath that he can scold himself over his faulty decision-making on Sunday since it had ultimately made victory all the sweeter.

The crowd, too, was stirred as it had not been for a long time and Old Trafford could be a reinvigorated arena tonight.

The win was “a defining moment” in Ferguson’s opinion. “I picked the wrong team,” he admitted. “I made the wrong decision on Gary Neville. It was asking far too much of him to play against [the much taller] John Carew [when the United defender was initially at centre-half]. It gave us a fragile look at the back.

“But when it went to 2-1 [for Villa] you saw the real Manchester United. Everyone started to play with abandon. They didn’t care whether Villa would score again. Their sole intention was to score themselves. With that kind of attitude they will win more games than they lose.”

Ferguson does not, of course, intend that the match with Porto should get out of control.

Wayne Rooney is available after missing Sunday’s game and although the United manager was bold to send on Macheda against Villa he scoffed at any suggestion that he is inspired. “I know what my mother would say,” Ferguson remarked.

His side ought to win but Porto have not come merely to pay tribute to him or his side.

Macheda will, however, remain in the limelight tonight. “I think he will be involved, on the bench,” said the manager. “I’ve got Wayne Rooney back, which is a big bonus to us, but it’s difficult to leave [Macheda] out, isn’t it?”

United have other reasons to be encouraged. In addition to Rooney, Nemanja Vidic and Paul Scholes could reappear after suspensions applied to the domestic scene.

Ferguson, however, seemed to rule out Rio Ferdinand, though his groin strain may have improved through missing Sunday’s match.

Guardian Service