Crisis looms for Fergie as Vidic out for eight weeks
Vidic, who missed the final five months of last season after rupturing his cruciate in the Champions League defeat to Basle, missed Sunday’s Premier League win at Liverpool after complaining of tightness in his right knee. However, a subsequent examination revealed a greater problem, prompting Vidic to be sent for an operation, which has now been completed.
“Nemanja Vidic has had a meniscus operation on his right knee and will be out for around eight weeks,” said a club spokesman.
As the new injury is the same knee as Vidic ruptured his cruciate, it is bound to spark fears of another major problem for the 31-year-old. Even on the timescale United highlighted yesterday, it would rule the Serbian out of the Red Devils’ next three Champions League matches, in addition to seven Premier League games, including key meetings with Chelsea and Arsenal.
However, the worry must be that Vidic will be out for even longer, robbing Ferguson of a major component of his entire squad.
Short-term, it provides the United boss with a major headache. As Phil Jones has been ruled out for a similar period of time with the same problem and Chris Smalling is yet to resume training after a broken metatarsal, it leaves Ferguson with only two fit central defenders, and Jonny Evans picked up a knock at Anfield.
It continues an unhappy sequence of defensive problems for Ferguson.
Already this term Michael Carrick had been forced to play in that position twice as an emergency measure.
The news suggests Michael Keane and Scott Wooton may be in line to face Newcastle at Old Trafford in tonight’s Capital One Cup third round tie (7.45pm).
Nineteen-year-old Keane has made one substitute appearance for the senior side, whilst Wooton, who went on the summer tour to South Africa and China, is yet to make his debut.
United take their first tentative steps towards another trophy with Alex Ferguson pondering whether to introduce a couple of significant faces to his team.
Wayne Rooney could also return from his gashed thigh injury tonight.
Ferguson has previously used the fourth competition on his list of seasonal priorities for star men to hit the comeback trail, having done so with Cristiano Ronaldo, who made his first start of the 2008-09 campaign against Middlesbrough after recovering from ankle surgery.
Although Tottenham, Cluj and a Premier League trip to Newcastle are also to come before the next international break, as Rooney has returned to training, a place on the bench tonight cannot be ruled out, particularly as the striker has such a good record against the Magpies.
Whilst Rooney’s participation cannot be taken for granted, it appears to be the perfect opportunity for 18-year-old new-boy Angelo Henriquez.
Delays in securing international clearance following his arrival from Chile meant that Ferguson was unwilling to register the teenager in his Champions League squad.
Having taken the decision not to immediately send Henriquez back to South America as expected, the newly-rebranded League Cup offers the most obvious opportunity for first-team action and it would be a surprise if he was not involved at some stage.
Darren Fletcher is also expected in the United starting line-up. Providing Fletcher makes it, the Scotland skipper would be making another major step forward in his battle to combat a chronic bowel complaint which has troubled him since March 2011.
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