Ferdinand is first in line, with Sir Alex Ferguson confirming
the England defender could return from a groin injury in next
week's Champions League return against Porto.
The 30-year-old suffered a recurrence of the problem in the
final moments of England's World Cup win over Ukraine last week and
has already been ruled out of Saturday's Barclays Premier League
trip to Sunderland.
But Ferdinand has an outside chance of featuring in Portugal
next Wednesday as United look to advance to the semi-finals of the
Champions League by becoming the first English side to win in Porto
after Tuesday's draw at Old Trafford.
Ferguson also revealed Rafael has returned to training this week
after an ankle injury that has kept him out since the end of
January, with Brown not too far behind following a similar problem
that has kept him out for most of the season.
"Rafael started training this week," said Ferguson. "He needs a
few more days training but I would imagine he could be available
for next weekend.
"Wes is not too far away either and will start football training
next week." With an FA Cup semi-final against Everton next Sunday,
followed by a series of key Premier League games, even if United
fail to beat Porto it would still be a major plus to have more
defenders available, particularly as Jonny Evans is a doubt for the
Sunderland game after suffering a groin injury on Tuesday.
"Without question, getting these lads back would be a major
boost for us," said Ferguson.