MOSCOW: Sir Alex Ferguson believes Antonio Valencia is on the verge of proving that he can be a major player in Manchester United's drive for silverware this season.

The Ecuador winger, signed for 17 million pounds ($28 million) from Wigan as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, has struggled to convince the United faithful that he is up to the task.

But after claiming his first United goal in a win over Bolton at the weekend, Valencia capped a fine performance with a late winner in United's 1-0 Champions League win over CSKA Moscow on Wednesday and Ferguson was quick to underline the importance of the display.