Given the Scot's assessment of his team's performance, the return of Ferdinand to the heart of the United defence at Old Trafford on Monday now seems automatic.
Ferdinand travelled with the United party to Lyon, even though his eight-month ban doesn't expire until midnight on Sunday, and did an extra training session yesterday in a bid to ensure he is as fit as possible ahead of the Liverpool visit.
Both Wes Brown and Mikael Silvestre will fear for their places after unconvincing displays, although Ferguson also has the option of switching Brown to right-back in place of John O'Shea.
Phil Neville and Alan Smith also have plausible claims for a starting spot on Monday, while Louis Saha could be available again after his recent knee problems.
The major issue for Ferguson, though, is whether he should stick with goalkeeper Tim Howard.
The American goalkeeper followed up his blunder at Bolton on Saturday with an equally obvious mistake that gifted Cris the first goal for Lyon.
Fenerbahce lead United's Group D after Pierre van Hooijdonk's 16th- minute header gave the Turks a 1-0 win against Sparta Prague in Istanbul.
The home side had Servet Cetin dismissed 17 minutes from the end after the defender picked up two yellow cards.
