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Carlos Tevez will be asked to step into the breach immediately and spearhead Manchester United’s depleted attack against Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Wednesday.

The champions drew a blank in front of goal against Reading at the weekend and suffered an even bigger blow when Wayne Rooney limped off after fracturing his foot in an accidental collision with Michael Duberry.

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed Rooney will be out of action for two months, meaning he will miss eight Premier League games - including the September 22 showdown with Chelsea - United’s opening two Champions League group fixtures, as well as England’s crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel and Russia next month.

During a late evening phone call to England coach Steve McClaren, Ferguson did express confidence Rooney would be fit for the October double-header with Estonia and Russia.

Having sold two of his strikers, Alan Smith and Guiseppe Rossi in the past fortnight, Ferguson does at least have the luxury of being able to call on Tevez.

“Carlos will start on Wednesday, away to Portsmouth,” he revealed. “Ideally, I would have preferred to wait for the Manchester City game on Sunday - which would have given him a few more days’ training.

"But for the forthcoming few weeks, he will fill the position Wayne would have occupied.”

Although Tevez was confirmed as a United player only on Friday, he has been training with United for almost a fortnight.

Ferguson accepts the Argentina international may be slightly rusty, having not played a game since his country reached the final of Copa America four weeks ago. However, the United boss has seen enough in training to feel Tevez can make a positive contribution at Fratton Park.

“There is no doubt in my mind Carlos was the major reason why West Ham stayed up last season,” said Ferguson. “His performances in the Premier League last season is the foundation on which our opinion of him is based. But sometimes you get more of a feel from training, and he has been absolutely brilliant.

“I have been very impressed, not just by his aptitude for work but the receptive manner in which he has approached the sessions.”