Wenger: Rio will fire United

Arsene Wenger said today that he fears the return of Rio Ferdinand could ignite Manchester United after their faltering start to the season.

Ferdinand is available to Sir Alex Ferguson again after 244 days out of competitive action. His eight month suspension for missing a drugs test a year ago runs out on Sunday and Wenger is under no illusion about the influence the England central defender can have on United.

"He will have a huge impact," said Wenger. "For us it would be like having Sol Campbell back after eight months. You just have to look at the position of United when he was in the team and how they dropped when he came out of the team.

"With Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney to come, I would say it is not logical to rule United out of the championship because we are very early in the season and it is not very astute because they have had big players out."

Ferdinand spoke for the first time since he started his ban in February today and revealed that although he still feels harshly treated over his treatment he believes the episode has made him a stronger character.

The defender is set for a return against Liverpool on Monday night.

The 25-year-old, who has been paid his £70,000-a-week salary throughout his suspension, said: "I'm not asking anyone to feel sorry for me. I'm just telling it as it was. I still feel I was unjustly treated but how long can you stay angry for?

"People have been coming up to me in the street saying 'Three weeks to go, Rio' or '10 days to go, Rio' and now it's only a couple of days.

"I can assure everybody Monday is a day I will not be forgetting."

Ferdinand admitted he was "really angry" after his appeal was turned down because "there was nowhere to turn" but made a conscious decision not to alter his routine.

"I've trained with the lads every day, gone to sleep in the afternoons as I usually do, eaten all the right foods and done everything I would normally do."