“They were being compared to Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister.”

Former Manchester United defender Gordon McQueen is looking forward to seeing the Rio Ferdinand/Nemanja Vidic defensive partnership restored now the Serbian has returned from injury.

The pairing has provided a solid foundation for United in recent years, but injury has meant Sir Alex hasn’t been able to field the two as regularly as he would like.

Vidic has been out since September but is likely to return for tomorrow’s game against FC Cluj, and if he gets through that then we may see him partner Ferdinand in the heart of defence against Man City on Sunday.

And McQueen believes if Sir Alex is able to pair the two consistently he will begin to see some defensive stability:

“Because of injuries there has been a lot of rotation but when you are suffering in defence you need stability and consistency.

“At last, it appears all the defenders are fit again. The question is now who to play. It was only a few years back that Vidic and Ferdinand was the best pairing in the game. They were being compared to Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister.

“People have been saying Rio is not the player he was then but the matches I have seen him play he cruised through them. It is not a slight on Jonny Evans but I think getting those two back together is a good starting point.

“Saturday at Reading was poor but I think United can get over that and getting Vidic back in can be the beginning of some consistency and belief at the back.”