Ferguson: Goals will come

The Red Devils were held to a 0-0 stalemate by Villarreal at the start of their Champions League defence, extending a run that has now seen them win only once and score just four times in their opening five matches.

However, Ferguson is confident it will not be long before United are hitting the net on a regular basis again and said: "We will improve from now. We are a bit short but the games will bring us on."

He added: "It was the same last season. It wasn't until we got a victory over Sunderland that we really got on the road.

"We have a little bit to go yet. But once the sharpness of play comes I am sure the goals will come as well."

Ferguson was happy with United's overall performance, in which Jonny Evans hit a post late on and Carlos Tevez had a second-half effort cleared off the line.

However, the major plus was Cristiano Ronaldo's earlier than expected return from ankle surgery.

After the will-he, won't-he transfer saga involving Real Madrid, many pundits wondered what kind of reception Ronaldo would get from the Old Trafford faithful.

In the end, just as Ferguson predicted, there was nothing but support.

"We expected Cristiano to get a great reception," said the United boss. "He knows the supporters have always been behind him. He has given us great moments and scored some fantastic goals."