Ferdinand feels preparations key to availability

It was a long-held view of Sir Alex Ferguson that Ferdinand’s fragile body was unable to get through such a crush of fixtures.

The Scot’s policy in such situations tended to revolve around leaving the 34-year-old out of at least one, with Jonny Evans or Chris Smalling standing in.

As it happens, neither Evans nor Smalling have been involved at all so far this season, with Ferdinand paired together with captain Nemanja Vidic in all four of the champions’ Premier League games.

That included Saturday’s win over newly-promoted Crystal Palace, a rather surprising move on Moyes’s part given United visit Manchester City on Sunday, after tonight’s Champions League opener against Bayer Leverkusen.

Yet Ferdinand insists he can cope.

“I feel good,” he said. “The work we did in pre-season has given us a really solid place to work from and a base that will keep us going until the new year.

“I don’t tend to look much beyond a week really. I just continue trying to make sure my pre-training, pre-game and recuperation is all alright.

“Now it is about getting a continuation of games, not just for myself but for the team because it has been a bit stop-start with the internationals.”

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany is poised to return to action in his side’s opening Champions League game against Viktoria Plzen tonight in the Czech Republic.

The defender, who has not played since suffering a groin injury in the opening game of the season, travelled with the squad ahead of the Group D encounter.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini had previously expressed confidence the Belgium international could return for the coming weekend’s derby against Manchester United and now it seems he could be back sooner.

Despite that, Pellegrini said he will not take any unnecessary risks with his key defender. Pellegrini said: “Vincent has worked with us normally for the last two days.

“We will see if he is 100 per cent. If he is, of course he will play. We will talk with the doctor and decide.

“I think he will be 100 per cent, but if he is not he will not play.

“We have a very important match but we have other players if any are not 100 per cent.

“Vincent is very important but we have a squad.

“We have replacements for any player who is injured.”