Vidic primed for pivotal phase

Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic feels the club will “know exactly where” they are in the next few weeks in terms of how their Premier League season is shaping up.

The reigning champions are currently seventh in the table with 37 points from 21 games, five points behind fourth-placed Liverpool.

The Red Devils play five top-flight matches between now and mid-February, a sequence that starts with Sunday’s trip to third-placed Chelsea and ends with a clash with current table-toppers Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

“We have to win regularly and in the next month we will know exactly where we are,” Vidic said.

“By the end of January and start of February we will show what our position is and what our capability is in the Premier League.

“Then, of course, the Champions League starts up again. This is an important time for us and we all want to do well.”

United are away against Olympiacos in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on February 25.

In other cup action, they play the second leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final with Sunderland at Old Trafford next week, starting the contest 2-1 down from the first leg.

The Red Devils have struggled for consistency in manager David Moyes’ first season in charge.

And while Vidic has described Moyes as a “good character” for keeping the group going, the centre-back has also emphasised the responsibility of the players, not least himself.

The 32-year-old Serbian said: “You have to always be together as a team.

“That’s important. If you have a bad result you have to concentrate on doing the right things — in training and with your behaviour, then in the matches.

“You try to lead by example first in the dressing room, then out on the pitch.

“We are lucky here because there are so many players who are experienced and mature people, they help the team try to achieve what we want to do.”

He added: “You have to respect your team-mates; if you respect them, you get respect back. You support them, talk to them, encourage them if needed.

“The manager is a good character and does that but it’s up to the players too. We’re a group and it’s a group responsibility to deal with those situations.”

Meanwhile, Rio Ferdinand has hailed Cristiano Ronaldo’s “incredible achievement” in winning the Fifa Ballon d’Or but believes his stunning career is the result of thousands of hours of hard graft by his former team-mate.

The Manchester United defender, who confirmed he tried but failed to persuade the Real Madrid star to return to the club last summer, said Ronaldo was a rough diamond when he moved to Old Trafford as an 18-year-old but has reaped the rewards for his dedication.

Ferdinand said: “Cristiano is living proof that no matter how much talent you have as a youngster, you have to work hard in order to be successful.

“Thousands of hours of graft both in the gym and on the training ground turned him into the perfect specimen. I’m still truly astonished by the drive and determination to stay at the top, by not only Ronaldo, but Messi too.”

In relation to persuading Portugal captain Ronaldo to return to Old Trafford, Ferdinand said he had “tried and failed to twist his ear”.