RUUD'S HOPES

"I don't want our hopes to end early, so soon after coming back and I don't think that will be the case," he said.

"It is a big week for the whole club. It is not just massive for me because of being out. While I have been working very hard in Holland to get back, all the other players have worked tremendously hard, too. It is vital for all of us.

"We have games coming up that are going to be decisive but we have been in this situation before and focus on each game.

"We don't really think about what is happening in a week's time. It is not the way sportsmen think. There are so many `ifs' you can't look that far ahead. For me it is just a case of squeezing everything out of the remainder of the season."

Back in the groove.

"It will be hard to get back into the leading scorers now. I have lost a part of my season and if you don't play games you don't score goals. So I am not going to worry about things like that," Ruud added. "I just want to give my best in the time I have this season. I just want to pick it up again now and see where it takes the team and me.

"But I have scored quickly again in the past after coming back from time out and I can do it again. I have been back at United for two weeks now after doing my rehab in Holland for six weeks and I feel I am going in the right direction.

"It is hard to say when you feel you are fully match sharp again. I look back at the Portsmouth game and overall my game wasn't satisfactory.

"The year I had out before I came to United was a big lesson for me. At a certain point you have to let go of the frustration that you can't play and can't be a part of the team."