Ferdinand and Vidic in central defence

Valencia v Manchester United

Rio Ferdinand partnered Nemanja Vidic in central defence for the first time this season as Manchester United looked to get their Champions League campaign back on track against Valencia.

Ferdinand is still nursing his long-standing back complaint, to the extent that he stood up for most of the flight to Spain yesterday, but with the requirement to avoid defeat obvious following the opening-day draw with Rangers, Alex Ferguson decided now was the time to place his trust in United’s first-choice pairing.

With Michael Owen and Federico Macheda on the bench, Dimitar Berbatov was selected as a lone frontman, while Michael Carrick was handed his first start since the Community Shield after recovering from an Achilles problem.