After his stunning start to the season, Fergie says: Rooney is a white Pele!

It seems odd that a little less than a year ago Wayne Rooney asked to leave Manchester United. His form was poor, his private life was about to be engulfed by scandal and he felt it was time for a fresh start somewhere else.

Eleven months, a new contract and another Barclays Premier League title later, Rooney arrived in Lisbon pretty much in the form of his life.

Consecutive hat-tricks have helped to keep United top of the league and now his manager is even comparing him to Pele. It has, by anybody's standards, been quite a year.

Making a statement: Fergie has compared Rooney to Pele

Asked yesterday if he saw a touch of Brazilian flair in Rooney, Sir Alex Ferguson said: 'I think he's a typical British player and there have been players who have had similar great qualities, whether it's a Paul Gascoigne, George Best, Bobby Charlton or Denis Law.

'The similarities are that the boy has great courage, he wants to play all the time. He has incredible stamina.

'These are added extras to the talent he has. Brazilian? Well, if you look at Pele, for instance, he was a very aggressive attacker who could also look after himself. So can Rooney.

'They have similarities that way. Strength, speed, determination. But Wayne's white, completely white.'

So there we have it. Rooney - who has been called many things over the years - now has a new sobriquet: the White Pele. Rooney himself will smile when he reads it this morning. He won't believe it, that's for sure.

Roo the man: Back-to-back hat-tricks have made this a start to remember

But that Ferguson should respond in such a way to what appeared a slightly peculiar question posed by a Portuguese journalist says everything for the impact Rooney has had in only four United games this season.

Having enjoyed a phenomenal season two years ago - scoring 34 goals before injury in April - Rooney faltered last time round. Last night, though, Ferguson was happy to go along with the theory that Old Trafford' s favourite Scouser may be about to enjoy his best season yet.

'I'm sure it's a target for him,' he said. 'He doesn't go out at the start of the season thinking that way but as the season progresses that could change. If that's the target this season and he gets to that, then I'll be delighted because with Chicharito's (Javier Hernandez) ability to score, we could have two goalscorers above 25.'

United arrived in Portugal yesterday without Rio Ferdinand, who has suffered a recurrence of his hamstring injury, but no doubt encouraged by the return to fitness of players like Darren Fletcher and Antonio Valencia.

With Chelsea coming to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday, Ferguson will think hard about tonight's selection.

Drawn in a group with Benfica, Basle and the Romanian side FC Galati, this should not be the hardest Champions League group of Ferguson's life.

He knows, though, that at some stage his team will probably have to beat last season's winners Barcelona. Such is the majesty of Pep Guardiola's Spanish champions that they have changed the landscape of the competition. They have beaten United twice in recent finals and beaten them well.

United's Ryan Giggs said: 'Teams have beaten them. We beat them three years ago in a semi-final when they were not too different.

United front: The players train ahead of the clash with Benfica

'What they've got now is more experience and confidence from winning things but we've got to overcome that if we come up against them again. We've got to get better. I'm sure we can with the players we have.'

Giggs himself may see some action tonight as Ferguson shuffles his squad. Perhaps most important, though, will be the central defensive pairing of Jonny Evans and Phil Jones, with 19-year-old Jones making his Champions League debut.

Benfica are unbeaten in eight games this season and have beaten United in their iconic stadium before, knocking them out of the group stage in 2005.

But that was then and this is now. It is hard to see the modern United - and the White Pele - faltering here this time.