Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson says that Rio Ferdinand is "making progress" in his bid to recover from a back injury, and is confident the 31-year-old will be back in time for the busy Christmas period. "Rio is coming along," he told the club's official website.
"He is making progress but it's difficult with back injuries. Nature sometimes helps you, but we are looking forward to him coming back.
"Our concerns still centre around John O'Shea and Jonny Evans. They are both doubtful for Saturday.
"So we will have to go with defenders we have at the moment. Gary Neville is fit, as is Rafael and Patrice Evra will come back in.
"But I'm really pleased with the form of Wes Brown and Nemanja Vidic. They've been fantastic in recent games."
