Sir Alex Ferguson is going to offer his teen sensation Cristiano Ronaldo a three-week winter break, but the starlet will have to wait until after Christmas and the busy fixture list.
Ronaldo burst onto the scene in the Barclaycard Premiership after a memorable debut against Bolton in August, when he came off the bench and ran the Trotter's defence ragged. He is viewed as a hot prospect for the future by his boss.
Ferguson is keen to limit Ronaldo's appearances this term and opted to leave him out of Tuesday night's Champions League encounter with Stuttgart despite his hefty 12.24million transfer fee.
The 18-year-old will probably be back in the Red Devils' squad for Saturday's Manchester derby at Old Trafford and with the busy festive period looming, Ferguson admitted he needs as many of his men on hand as possible as United look to enhance their Premier League title prospects.
However, his long term plan is to give the Portuguese star some time off in order for him to be in prime condition for the season's run-in.
"He is only 18 and we have to be careful how we use him," said Fergie.
"The secret will be giving him a good long rest, maybe for about three weeks, which will allow him to come on again later in the season.
"You are never quite sure about how players of his age are going to develop physically but we need everyone available at the moment because this is such a hectic month."
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