Football: Vidic Eyes Defensive Improvement

Manchester United captain, Nemanja Vidic, has admitted that his side will need to greatly improve their defending if they are to have any chance of winning silverware this season.

The Red Devils’ sloppiness at the back was one of the reasons they missed out on winning the title last term and they appear to have started the new Barclays Premier League campaign in very much the same vein , conceding five times in their opening three league games.

The Serbian was absent for the majority of last season due to a serious knee injury and, although he has played every minute in 2012/13, he has been unable to help stem the tide, even with the return of his partner in crime, Rio Ferdinand.

After claiming two wins from three matches, United now have a weekend off due to the international fixtures and, with both Ferdinand and Vidic not taking part for their countries, the duo have plenty of time to work on their frailties.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side’s recent success has been largely built on strong defending and their troubles have started speculation that some of their key defenders’ time at the top maybe coming to an end.

Vidic admits that he is worried by their recent sloppiness and says that he knows they need to improve if they’re to have any chance of claiming silverware this season.

"You have to say we've had a lot of turbulence in defence with so many changes and people going in and going out,” he said. "We didn't have a constant back four and sometimes it causes a problem, but we look forward to the next games.

"We have over a week to improve our fitness and obviously our form so we are going to be right for the next game in the Premier League.”