“Phil Jones and Chris Smalling are ready to fill their positions.”

The competition for places at Manchester United has always been fierce.

Only at United can a golden boot winner find that he isn’t an automatic pick and further proof can be seen in defence.

Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic have been the bedrock of our defence for years. But the emergence of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones has placed their partnership under serious threat and with injuries creeping in, either of the two can claim a place in the heart of United’s defence at any time.

But this is a good thing according to Anders Lindegaard.

The goalkeeper has hailed our defending as world class since the drubbing from Man City and feels the competition for places is keeping everyone on their toes,

“Our defence was world class against Aston Villa. Vidic and Ferdinand showed they are truly world-class players.

“The quality we have been showing in defence since the Manchester City game has been scary.

“The competition for those two spots is amazing. There are four or five players that could play in those positions.

“We have a couple of world-class defenders in Rio and Nemanja but Phil Jones and Chris Smalling are ready to fill their positions.”