By MARTIN BLACKBURN
ALEX FERGUSON is sure Nemanja Vidic will be ready to hand Manchester United another title boost this weekend.
The skipper has been sidelined since September 19 following more knee surgery but could make a return on Saturday.
Jonny Evans limped out of the Manchester derby on Sunday with a hamstring problem and is a major doubt for the clash with Sunderland.
But Ferguson believes Vidic will be ready to put an injury-blighted 16 months behind him — and plug the league leaders’ leaky defence.
The United chief said: “It would have been crazy to play him against City but against Sunderland… definitely.
“It’s a big bonus to have him back. He is a real competitor with that uncompromising way of his. He likes defending — that’s what it is.”
Vidic sat out most of the start of last season and was just getting his form and fitness back when disaster struck in Basel last December.
The 31-year-old suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury which ended his season and he managed only a handful of games this term before he was injured yet again.
Ferguson said: “In the last 18 months he has only had 10 games or something. It is not many games he has played.
“At the start of last season he got injured in the first game against West Brom and was out for six weeks.
“Now he has no pain in the knee — and its a different knee to the one he did his cruciate on.
“Last time he made the point himself — we went to examine it and he had to have the cartilage out.”
United’s defence has been a major headache for Ferguson this season.
They have conceded nine goals more than second-placed Manchester City and kept just four cleansheets in 24 league and cup games this season.
With a hectic Christmas ahead, Vidic will be expected to stiffen things up and Fergie smiled: “He’s under pressure isn’t he?
“But he’ll make a difference, absolutely. He gives us the options.
“And to have senior players like that, it’s helpful.”
Ferguson hopes getting players like Vidic — along with fellow centre-backs Phil Jones and Chris Smalling back — will help his team during the second half of the season.
The Red Devils are going to have to play more matches than title rivals City who have no European football to distract them in the New Year.
Fergie said: They haven’t got travel and recovery from the game in midweek in Europe to worry about.
“But hopefully the size of squad and experience we have got with European football we can do that.
“The second half usually decides it anyway so you have to manage playing European football and playing league games.
“We have been doing that for quite some time and I don’t think that’s a problem.”
Meanwhile United will need to keep a close eye on Sunday’s hero Wayne Rooney after he was forced to pull out of a book signing yesterday due to illness.
Rooney, who scored twice in the 3-2 win over City, wrote on Twitter: “Not feeling good at all. Had to cancel book signing today. Sorry to all the fans who were coming. I was looking forward to it.”
