Hopeful: Rio Ferdinand could be back in a
fortnight
Rio Ferdinand could return to the
Manchester
United side in a
fortnight.
Sir Alex Ferguson has pencilled in the home game against Hull
City on January 23 for the return of the 31-year-old central
defender, who has been out of action with a back problem since
October.
The news will be welcomed by the United manager, whose defensive
problems have stretched his squad to the limit, forcing him to use
midfield players such as Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher as
makeshift defenders.
It will also provide a significant boost for
Ferdinand’s hopes of playing for England in this summer’s World
Cup.
Ferdinand has played only 11 games from a total of 34 for United
and England this season.
It means Ferguson has given him all the time he needs to recover
from the back trouble which, at one stage, raised serious doubts
about whether he could continue at the highest level. It now looks
like their patience will pay dividends.
‘I’m very happy with Rio’s progress,’ said Ferguson. ‘He has
been doing a lot of running and could be back in action in two
weeks.
‘But one thing is certain, having waited this long we will not
bring him back until he’s 100 per cent.’