Manchester United expect a battle tonight against Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said: "We think very highly of him. He was a fantastic young player for us.

"The problem was satisfying him with regards to first-team football. It was very difficult for me.

"When Villarreal made a good offer for him one of the conditions was that we had an option to buy him if they ever sold him.

"That is the situation. He is a Villarreal player and I am sure they want him to stay with them. He is doing very well."

Defender Nemanja Vidic added: "He is a very good young player and has broken into the Italian side.

"Since he came to Villarreal he has scored a lot of goals in one-and-a-half seasons. It will be a tough job against him but you want to stop someone having a good game."