Ferguson said: “On present form I would say that Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka are currently the two best players in the world. Ronaldo has been fantastic for us this season but Kaka is a great talent too.
“There are other wonderful players on both sides, like Maldini, but Ronaldo and Kaka do stand out and it has all the makings of a great European tie.
“The one thing I can promise Milan, though, is that they will be facing a much better team than the last time they played us.
“I think the progress my team have made since we last met in 2005 is best reflected by comparing our amazing 7-1 win over Roma with the Champions League experience we had against AC Milan.
“As far as a lot of the players were concerned they were just setting out on a learning curve in Europe. Players like Rooney and Ronaldo were not ready for those kind of nights and found it difficult against experienced, accomplished opponents.
“But how different they looked against Roma, the boys had become men – and that maturity has developed right through the squad.”
