The hierarchy for captaincy last season was Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs then Rio Ferdinand. If they were missing, like Nev and Rio mostly were last season, then it would have fallen to Nemanja Vidic, but he was injured for most of the season too, which meant 5th in line Patrice Evra got to wear our armband on occasion, including the League Cup final.

Despite Giggs starting several games this season, Vidic has been named captain for every match. It will be interesting to see what happens when Rio, who is playing for the Reserves tonight, and GNev get a start under their belts.

Regardless, Vidic is very happy to have been wearing our armband and enjoys the responsibility that comes with it.

“It is a big achievement for me,” he said. “No-one is going to say they don’t want to be the captain of Manchester United and I am very happy with it. It is a major responsibility but I have always liked responsibility. I am not a player who shies away from it. Nothing has really changed in that respect. We all know the captains of the team are Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand. They are the real leaders. The other players follow how they do things. They don’t have to do anything special. They just have to be themselves to be an example for the rest of the players. When they are not on the pitch, I just try to do my best and use the experience I have gained in the years I have played for Manchester United.”