John O'Shea has hailed his Manchester United team-mates Rio
Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic as the best central defensive
partnership in Europe.
United have kept clean sheets in their last six consecutive league
games, and have conceded only two goals in eight Barclays Premier
League matches - both away from home - and none in Europe.
One more clean sheet, at Aston Villa on October 20, will mean the
team equal a club record of seven set way back in 1924 in the old
second division.
O'Shea said: "It's a pretty happy camp at the moment, especially
with the defensive situation with the clean sheets.
"Rio and Nemanja are definitely a major factor to it - you cannot
ask for two better central defenders in Europe, in my
opinion.
"I hope they will stay clear of injury because they have been a
major influence on keeping the clean sheets."
"Nemanja is big goal threat as well," he said.
"You know if the ball is going towards him when he makes a run
there's a good chance of it being a goal. Other teams are picking
up on that now, and he's becoming really tightly marked."
O'Shea has been filling in at right-back for the injured Wes Brown
- and the Republic of Ireland international says there is huge
pride in the back four and the goalkeeper when they stop opponents
scoring.
"For a defender, keeping a clean sheet is like a striker scoring a
couple of goals," he reasons.
"With the attacking quality we have, we know if we keep a clean
sheet then nine times out of 10 we are going to win the game.
"We hope we can keep it going. Gary Neville will be back soon - and
with the games we have coming up in the Champions League and the
Premier League, we need his kind of experience.
"The top teams are gathering pace now - and Arsenal, in particular,
look very tasty at the minute."
