Neville continues comeback

Manchester United captain Gary Neville has taken the latest stride towards a first-team return after completing 73 minutes for the reserves.

The full-back, who has not played a Barclays Premier League game for almost exactly a year, started last night’s 1-0 defeat at Sunderland.

It was Neville’s longest competitive outing since finally recovering from a combination of ankle and groin problems.

He even had a chance to notch a rare goal when he was thwarted from close range by Black Cats goalkeeper Marton Fulop.