Anderson is yet to make his competitive debut for the Premier League champions because of a hamstring strain, which follows a broken leg that cut short last season.
Ferguson admits United decided to sign the Brazilian in the summer as they expected a break-out campaign from him this term.
The Red Devils boss is tipping Anderson to shine when he makes his competitive debut and show the other top clubs in Europe what they have missed out on.
"Anderson is a fantastic talent," Ferguson told Inside United. "He can play in centre midfield or in the middle in attack.
"We've taken a bit of a risk because he broke his leg last year, but we thought that if he starts the season at Porto it won't be long before everybody wants him, so we decided to do the deal in the summer.
"We've spent a fair bit on him and Nani, but I think the deals are good value. They'll both give us terrific attacking options."
