Neville set for swift return
08 Nov 2007 - 08:26:07
Manchester United captain Gary Neville will finally make his return from injury after the international break, according to manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
The 32-year-old defender has not played a first-team game since the Premier League win against Bolton Wanderers in March last season.
Neville was given the green light to return last week after a seven-month battle with injury, but suffered a recurrence of a calf problem in training and missed Wednesday's Champions League victory over Dynamo Kyiv.
However, Ferguson has allayed fears that the latest problem is a long-term one and believes his skipper will be back in contention for the trip to Bolton Wanderers on November 24.
"Gary will be okay next week," he said.
"He felt a bit of a strain in his calf, so panic immediately sets in with everybody because he has had such a hard time.
"But the projection is that it is more precautionary than treatment requiring, so he will be back in the game after Blackburn."
Meanwhile, United expect Edwin Van der Sar to be fit for Sunday's clash with Blackburn Rovers despite the veteran goalkeeper being substituted at half-time against Kyiv with a foot injury.