I knew Manchester United would win the Premier League even without me, insists captain Nemanja Vidic

 

Simon Stone
Thursday 05 April 2012 11:39 BST
Comments
Nemanja Vidic is unsurprised that United's injured players, including himself, have been readily replaced
Nemanja Vidic is unsurprised that United's injured players, including himself, have been readily replaced (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Nemanja Vidic claims he never had any doubts that Manchester United would shrug off his season-ending absence and make a strong defence of their Premier League title.

When Vidic was carried off with ruptured cruciate knee ligaments against Basle in December – as United went out of the Champions League – there were many who believed that their entire campaign would be a disaster. Less than four months on, they are now five points clear at the top of the Premier League, an outcome that does not surprise the Serbian centre-half.

"I always believed we would challenge for the title," Vidic said. "It doesn't matter who is out. Man-chester United never depend on one player. If you look at the past, players have left and fans have said 'how are we going to cope?'

"But the manager is the best at replacing players and the team still win titles and trophies. That is why Manchester United are so special." Despite their winning run, United are still a team in transition, with the likes of Jonny Evans, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck all playing a major role this season.

"We didn't expect that the young players would play so many games and have such influence on the team," added Vidic. "This is a great plus for the club. Now we are at the top of the league and have a big chance to win it."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in