Vidic and the Man Utd Defence

Man Utd are likely to be one of the top two best defensive teams in the league, and with their especially easy opening three fixtures, a Man Utd defender - or two - will make a very good choice.

Of their backline, Vidic is the premium choice. Although expensive for a defender, if he can repeat last seasons points haul then he will be worth the price. At 8m he is the same price as the likes of Young, Defoe, Agbonlahor and Keane, and Vidic outpointed all of these players last season. He plays a role at attacking corners which gives him frequent chances for goals or assists.

As well as this Vidic collects bonus points and clean sheets. He is probably Man Utds most reliable defender, and possibly the most consistent Big 4 defender other than Carragher, only with further goal and bonus potential, averaging 5.5 pts per game last season.

The other prominent Man Utd defensive options are Evra and Ferdinand.

Evra's points over the last few seasons are average at best for a Man Utd player as he tends to pick up injuries, rarely gets assists and almost never gets bonus points. However he is good value for money for a Big 4 defender and assuming he can avoid injuries, should return suitable points and at a more affordable price.

Rio Ferdinand got a little unlikely on the injury front last season; he's not necessarily a player who over his career has been especially injury prone but did have a bad time of it last year. For 1m less than Vidic, he's decent in the air, gets into the box, will pick up a few bonus points and you can always sub him if the worst happens and he gets injured.

Vidic has ended up with the odd red card, although he is not exactly in the same anger management league as Lee Bowyer or Joey Barton. The major concern over Vidic is his fitness - he is currently injured and missed the preseason tour to Malaysia.
Keep a close eye on Man Utd's preseason lineups over the next few weeks, particularly the Charity Shield match, which is often a good indicator of the regular squad lineup. If Vidic is not healthy for the start of the season, Ferdinand will become the next best choice.

Given that Man Utd are playing over Gameweek 3, have an easy opening set of fixtures and are consistently one of the best teams defensively, a defender or two from their lineup will be a very sensible choice.