Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo was sent on in the Carling Cup against Derby to raise his confidence levels.

Mike Phelan, Ferguson's right-hand man, revealed that playing the off-form Portuguese star as a substitute was a deliberate attempt to give him some much-needed self-belief.

Phelan said: "We had a plan to get Cristiano on the pitch and hopefully give him the chance to score.

"It worked for us, he scored the penalty, so his confidence is up there again."

The winger bagged 42 goals last season but had not scored domestically since his brace in the 5-0 victory over Stoke on November 15.

Also, he was involved in an accident - when he crashed his new £200,000 Ferrari on the way to training - which many believe might have traumatized him somewhat.

So it was a surprise for fans to see the world and European Player of the Year introduced after 57 minutes in the semi-final second leg with the Red Devils leading 3-0.

Ronaldo scored United's fourth goal from a penalty, after team-mate Carlos Tevez was tripped by stopper Roy Carroll.

The game ultimately ended 4-2, with United winning the tie 4-3 on aggregate.

With so many injuries sustained in the match, United really need their star man to step up and deliver goals.