Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that the back four on tour will consist of Phil Jones, Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra, and somewhat of a surprise, our captain Nemanja Vidic. The Serb tore his cruciate ligaments back in December, and has been out of action for the last eight months.
His return couldn’t have been more timely, with the boss confirming that both Johnny Evans and Chris Smalling will both miss the start of the season, it leaves us with just three fit centre-backs for our Premier League opener away at Everton.
Sir Alex said “Chris Smalling is out for 10 weeks with his metatarsal operation and Jonny Evans is still just in light training, they’re big losses at the moment and they will miss the start of the season.” He continued “Rafael is away (on international duty) and Fabio is away on loan so there are four defensive players that we don’t have for the back four positions.”
You’d expect Brazil to go a long way in the Olympics, so Rafael could well need some recovery time before he returns to domestic action. This means the tour back four is potentially the one that would face the Toffees on August 20th.
“We do have Phil Jones, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra, though. That will be the back four on tour. Hopefully we don’t get any more injuries as it would leave me a bit short.”
My only concern would be that we’ve rushed him back into action because of the lack of cover we have, I sincerely hope that isn’t the case though, as he’s 30 now and any long-term injury damage could well see an end to his career.
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