Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic unlikely to return until late December

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that captain Nemanja Vidic will not return to action until late December.

The 31-year-old has been unavailable for the Red Devils since suffering a knee injury in September and while the Serbian was expected to return at the end of November, Ferguson has revealed that Vidic will be sidelined until the hectic festive schedule.

"I think we're talking around December for Vidic," Ferguson told MUTV. "Maybe around Christmas time."

The centre-back, who suffered cruciate ligament damage last year, required surgery on his knee when he sustained his latest injury blow this season.