Neville battling to be fit for season opener

United veteran Gary Neville is a doubt for the start of the season after he has been forced to withdraw from United’s pre-season tour of America after he tore his calf muscle in training.

This is another defensive injury concern Sir Alex has to deal with after the news that Rio Ferdinand will be struggling to make the start of the season and the latest news that defensive minded Owen Hargreaves has had yet another setback in his road to recovery.

A club spokeswoman told ManUtd.com: “Gary has suffered a minor setback in training with a small tear to his calf muscle. He therefore won’t be going on the tour as it will be more beneficial for him to remain at Carrington to improve his chances of being ready for the start of the season.”

United do have the likes of  Rafael, Wes Brown, John O’shea and maybe even new sigining Chris Smalling to call upon, but with Neville reaching the climax of his carear, Brown and O’shea having been out of action for so long and Ferdinand and the Da Silva brothers picking up regular injuries, the United manager may have to dip into the market for more defensive cover especially after the calamity of injuries our defenders had mid way through last season.