Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson surprised many observers with his assessment of Cristiano Ronaldo's fitness on Friday.

The prospective world footballer of the year was not expected back in action until the beginning of October following ankle surgery, but is expected to be on the bench this week ahead of an appearance at Chelsea next Sunday.

"Cristiano has come on leaps and bounds," said Ferguson. "We saw he was making rapid strides in overcoming his injury. He has done a lot of training with the physios and is well ahead of schedule."