Sir Alex Ferguson will take a huge gamble and play Rio Ferdinand against Chelsea tonight.
The England defender has not played since the 3-1 win against Aston Villa on February 1 and the United boss said last month that he did not expect Ferdinand to recover from a calf injury in time to play again this season.
But the 32-year-old's quick recovery and the recent struggles of Wes Brown and Chris Smalling has convinced Ferguson to bring Ferdinand straight into the starting XI for tonight's Champions League quarter-final first-leg at Stamford Bridge.
Jonny Evans is available as his three-match ban, picked up after his dismissal against Bolton last month, only applies to domestic competition.
Ferdinand posted on his Twitter account this morning: "What a nice bright day! Breakfast done, lil walk + then focus for the game! Let's take a good score to OT"
Tonight's match will be Ferdinand's first appearance since John Terry replaced him as captain of England.
