Ferdinand comeback pleases United

Published: 14 Sep 2009 - 08:03:00

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Manchester United are confident Rio Ferdinand will benefit from his quicker-than-expected return to first-team duties. While Ferdinand was always confident he would get over a calf problem in time to face Tottenham on Saturday, Sir Alex Ferguson was less sure his £29.1million central defender would make his first appearance of the season at White Hart Lane. As it turned out, the 30-year-old was correct and he came through the entire 90 minutes as United recorded a notable early-season victory. Ferdinand has also travelled to Istanbul as the Red Devils begin their quest to reach a third successive Champions League final against Besiktas on Tuesday night. United assistant manager Mike Phelan said: "Rio worked hard during the last couple of weeks. He got the treatment he needed and was able to get out onto the training ground. "We were pushing him a bit to play but he will be better for it."