Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic won’t return from a knee injury until late December, manager Alex Ferguson said.

Vidic underwent knee surgery in September and was expected to be sidelined for eight weeks.

“I think we’re talking around December for Vidic,” Ferguson told United’s television network. “Maybe around Christmas time.”

Vidic missed the final five months of last season after rupturing a cruciate ligament in his knee during a Champions League game at Basel.

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