Rio Ferdinand eased any lingering fears about his fitness ahead of the Champions League final (Wednesday, 2:30 pm ET, ESPN) by coming through his most arduous training session since suffering the calf injury that jeopardized his appearance in Rome. There was no apparent reaction to the problem that forced him to miss Manchester United's past four matches.

United will train at the Stadio Olimpico tonight. Another healthy performance should mean that United coach Alex Ferguson will replace Jonny Evans in the center of defense against Barcelona. "It's not the best situation," Ferguson said, "He's very lucky that he's a natural athlete, so that gives us hope."

Ferdinand's availability would mean Ferguson can field essentially his first-choice team apart from the absence of Darren Fletcher, who would probably have been involved were it not for the red card that tarnished United's elimination of Arsenal.

 

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