Rio Ferdinand has declared himself fit to face Barcelona in tomorrow’s Champions League final. The Manchester United defender has been struggling with a calf injury picked up in the semi-final, second leg at Arsenal earlier this month and did not make Sunday’s Premier League trip to Hull as demanded by Alex Ferguson.
However, it now seems likely Ferdinand will face Barcelona as United look to become the first side to defend the European Cup since it was rebranded as the Champions League in 1992.
“The injury is fine,” he said. “I have been training and feel good. I am glad to be back.”
Of course, on the eve of possibly the biggest game in his career to date, Ferdinand would say that.
"I wouldn't do that," insisted Ferdinand today. "There is no way I will play if my fitness was detrimental to the team.
"Tomorrow is more about the team winning than me playing in a cup final.
"In any case, I have been working hard with the medical staff and training well. There are no problems. I am fine."
The final decision rests with Ferguson, who said last week the England defender needed game-time if he was to make the starting team in Rome.
Despite that, the Scot will find it difficult to leave out one of his most senior players when faced with a team boasting the attacking prowess of Barcelona, even if Jonny Evans has proved himself to be a capable stand-in this season.
Ireland John O'Shea is expected to be involved in the defensive line, while Michael Carrick also looks likely to start in midfield.
With Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo sure to start, that leaves veteran Ryan Giggs and the midfield duo of Anderson and Park Ji-sung - who did not even get a place on the bench against Chelsea last year - to scrap it out with Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov for the remaining two slots.
Regardless of who starts, Ferguson expects a memorable final
Ferguson's two previous Champions League wins have come with a heavy dose of nostalgia, given that miraculous comeback in the Nou Camp in 1999 came on what would have been Matt Busby's 90th birthday.
Last season in Moscow, United produced the most fitting tribute to the 50th anniversary of the air crash at Munich by lifting European football's biggest club prize once more, while there are other reasons to crave a win this time around. Busby's 100th birthday on Monday for a start.
Yet Ferguson is ready to let his players do the work themselves, knowing if the powerhouses of England and Spain fulfil their immense potential, it could be an all-time classic.
"You had a feeling that night in Barcelona and obviously there was fate attached to last year as well," said the United boss. "That happens. But I think this type of game might be beyond fate.
"It has the capability to be a fantastic final."
Merely by electing to wear white shirts, Ferguson had to answer comparisons with the last team to face Barcelona facing such a colour, Real Madrid, who were promptly beaten 6-2 in their own Bernabeu backyard.
"That wasn't a defeat, it was annihilation," said Ferguson, before adding pointedly: "We are very happy playing white and we are better than Madrid."
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