Ruud van Nistelrooy is confident he can save Manchester United’s Champions League campaign by overturning their 1-0 deficit to Milan at the San Siro on Tuesday.
The Dutch striker has scored 36 goals in 38 European appearances for United and is confident he is back in shape after a len gthy lay-off caused by Achilles tendon injury.
“Physically, I am at my best,” he said. “I feel I’ve improved in training.
“It’s all about what I produce now and Milan is one of those occasions where scoring would represent my best goal.”
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has also identified van Nistelrooy as a key figure tonight.
“Hopefully Ruud will get the same chances he got on Saturday because there is no-one better at taking them,” said Ferguson.
“Having the extra games will help him physically in terms of endurance and also on the mental side. In those aspects he is fine.”
“It is a massive task, and a very difficult game for us because Milan do not lose many goals,” Ferguson added.
“We have got to defend well but I have no doubts about the character of the team. We are capable of producing the top-class performance we will need.
“It’s going to be a night for the big players and we’ll have to defend better than we’ve ever defended.
“If we don’t lose a goal, the longer the game goes on, the better our chance may be. I think the team who wins this tie could go on and win the cup.
