THE NEW KING of Manchester United's

Sir Alex Ferguson has paid Carlos Tevez a huge compliment by likening Manchester United's Argentinian striker to the legendary Eric Cantona. Tevez has grown in stature at Old Trafford after his arrival from West Ham in the summer.

The 24-year-old has already scored 15 goals this season and is set to face Lyon in the second leg of the Champions League on Tuesday night. Like Cantona, Tevez can change the face of an important game as he proved in France with a late equaliser following a superb opener from Karim Benzema.

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In his programme notes, Ferguson said: "Carlos reminds me of Eric Cantona in the way that he has a knack of rising to the occasion with a goal just when it is needed."He often comes up with the goods away from home when you are up against it. I do not think anything fazes him and he keeps his cool in the box.

"He is proving to be a master at scoring the really important goals - the ones that give you a win or a draw, especially away from home. He did it at Tottenham to salvage a point as he made the result 1-1. He scored for a 1-0 win at Liverpool and he rescued us again by finding the net late at Lyon and nullifying their lead."

Victory over the French League leaders will see United equal Juventus' record in the competition of 10 straight home Champions League victories. Asked why his team is so formidable at Old Trafford in Europe against top teams, Ferguson quipped: "We have been good!"

He added: "Our home record in European football has been been the foundation of our group successes. "I have said it many times you need 10 points to qualify. If you get three home wins it is a big help. It means you only need a point on the road. The atmosphere at Old Trafford helps. There is a big stimulant for the fans to come to European nights. The players also increase their expectation levels to do well in these games."

Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic looks set to return to the side after a calf strain and resume his partnership with Rio Ferdinand. Ferdinand is aiming to make it third time lucky in the Champions League after being a losing semi-finalist with United last season and with Leeds in 2001.

United are still in with a chance of winning the Treble for the first time since 1999. And Ferdinand believes there is enough quality in the squad to cope with the Champions League, Barclays Premier League and FA Cup.

He said: "You do not deserve to be here if you haven't got that winning mindset. We are in a decent run of form and hopefully we can take that into Europe. Not many players have the opportunity to play in a Champions League final never mind win it. Hopefully we will be in with a shout but we will respect our opponents.To get to this stage you have to be a good team." (Source:sportinglife)