According to The Mirror,
Nemanja Vidic is back in full training with the first team squad and is
in line for a potential return to the starting line-up against FC Cluj
next week, weeks earlier than anticipated.
Speaking about Nemanja Vidic earlier in
November to MUTV, Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed he likely wouldn’t make a
return before Christmas.
He said: “I think we’re talking around December for Vidic. Maybe around Christmas time.”
So, Nemanja would be coming back ahead of schedule. Great news, right? A double edged sword I’d say.
We desperately missed having our captain
last season with a defence that lacked leadership and having him back
for the start of the season was, despite the cliché, like signing a new
player.
However, eight months out of the game
took its toll and Vidic lacked match sharpness and fitness. Poor
performances including an own goal against Fulham weren’t what we had
grown to love from the Serbian, and it was obvious he had been rushed
back amidst a defensive crisis.
Sure enough, after being rested against
Liverpool due to a tightness in his knee, he underwent surgery in
September that has ruled him out up until now.
I do hope Vidic is back in full training
because that would be a massive boost for the squad. Having our captain
back for the second half of the season would be a bigger lift than any
new signing, but Sir Alex has to make sure he isn’t rushed back into the
side again.
Now that we have Evans, Rio, Jones and
Smalling all fit, we have defensive options and time is on our side.
Easing Vidic back into the action slowly will allow him to regain that
sharpness without the added pressure of having to start every game.
I’ve seen fans voicing their concerns
that Vidic may not ever return to the form that saw him win a spot in
FIFA’s 2011 World XI but I am confident that if he can build his fitness
up over the next four weeks and concentrate on making a Christmas
return as scheduled, we’ll see the return of the real Nemanja Vidic.
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