LIVERPOOL, Sept 13: Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to make an early return from injury in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The Portugal international was expected to be out till October after undergoing an operation on his right ankle in July following the European Championship. But manager Alex Ferguson said Ronaldo is “likely to be involved” when United begins its defense of the European Cup against Villarreal at Old Trafford.

“Ronaldo is training now, he’s with the first team,” Ferguson said Friday. “He’s come on leaps and bounds. “We mentioned a couple of weeks ago, he was making rapid progress in terms of overcoming the injury problem he had. He’s been making great strides in the direction towards first-team football.”—AP