Wes Brown is set to make his reserve team comeback at Preston on Monday.
Apart from a brief return to duty at the end on January, Brown has been sidelined since November following an ankle operation.
"Wes has started training with the first team and I am contemplating playing him in the reserves on Monday," said manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
The United boss is preparing to rush England star Brown back into action as his side continues their assault on an unprecedented quintuple.
And that means Brown could face Preston in a Lancashire Senior Cup semi-final at Deepdale on Monday afternoon.
Ferguson added: "Given the amount of important games we have coming up, it might be worth rushing him back.
"It would be great to have Wes available because he is such a fantastic defender and it will give us another option."
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