Fergie eyes Obertan return

Published: 03 Sep 2009 - 13:14:21

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Sir Alex Ferguson expects summer signing Gabriel Obertan to be back in action by early October, with the Manchester United boss predicting big things from the winger. The 20-year-old, signed from Bordeaux in July, is yet to make his debut for the champions having arrived with a back injury. Ferguson has revealed that the Frenchman has been playing with the problem for over 18 months. Obertan's return to full fitness is more good news for the Red Devils boss with Rio Ferdinand (thigh), Rafael Da Silva (shoulder), Edwin Van der Sar (hand) and Owen Hargreaves (knees) all set to return within the next month. "Gabriel has had a spine problem, but I think he'll be back in about a month to six weeks' time," he told Inside United. "We're taking our time with him because we want him back and at 100 per cent. "He's very quick, he can play both sides or through the middle and he brings a real versatility to us. "At 16 he was one of the outstanding young talents in Europe, and he's said to us that over this last year and a half he's been playing with this back injury and no-one thought about getting a scan. "We expect big things from him. He's a nice boy, speaks good English and should have no problem settling in."