Vidich has faith in united

Nemanja Vidic claims he knew United would still mount a serious defence of the title in his absence because the club never relies on one player.

When the influential captain was ruled out for the season after damaging knee ligaments at Basel in December, many commentators feared the Reds' campaign would falter but Sir Alex's team are five points clear in the Barclays Premier League table with seven games remaining.

Paying tribute to the younger players who have covered for the injured stars at vital times, the Serbian also feels the manager is is largely responsible for keeping the club in a position to challenge for the top domestic honour.

"It doesn't matter who is out," Vidic told PA Sport. "Manchester United never depend on one player. If you look at the past, players have left and fans have said how are we going to do but they still win titles and trophies.

"That is why Manchester United are special. That is why the manager is the best at replacing players and finding young players. He showed that over the years. I believed we would challenge for the title. We changed some players last season and others went.

"We got some young players. We didn't expect the young players would play that many games and would have so much influence on the team. This is a great plus for the club. Obviously we have had some injuries over the past year, which is another difficult thing we have gone through. We have had so many players get injured at different times. But we have coped and been very competitive with Manchester City. Now we are at the top of the league and have a big chance to win it."