Sir Alex Ferguson delivered some more festive cheer on
Tuesday with the news that several Reds are back, or close to
returning, from injury.
Following the return of Nemanja Vidic, Wes Brown and Rafael
at Hull on Sunday, Gary Neville is the latest to bolster
United's defensive options. While Jonny Evans and Rio Ferdinand
miss Wednesday's game against Wigan, the former is particularly
close to making his return.
"We brought two centre-backs back on Sunday and they made a
tremendous difference to the defensive part of the side," Sir Alex
told his pre-Wigan press conference. "We’ve got Gary Neville now
available for tomorrow night, but we’re still hoping to have Evans
and Ferdinand back soon. O’Shea may be a bit longer.
"Jonny actually has been training but he felt a tight hamstring the
other day so we had to put him on the easy list for a couple of
days. But he’s not far away. We’re getting a bit better in terms of
the composition of the squad at a time of the year that’s vital to
us."
Paul Scholes missed the weekend win
over the Tigers after suffering a kick on the hip
in training, but is fit for the visit of Roberto Martinez's
side, as is fellow midfielder Anderson. Nani is the Reds' only
injured forward.
Meanwhile, Edwin van der Sar, who has been missing with a
knee injury, has been told to stay in the Netherlands with his wife
Annemarie, who is in hospital. "I have told Edwin to stay over
there. There is no point in him being here," said Sir Alex. "The
best thing is for him to be with his wife. Hopefully she will make
a good recovery."
