Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is happy with Patrice Evra as captain.

Nemanja Vidic has been out of action since suffering cruciate ligament damage against Basel in December.

"I think one of your players who has been playing all the time should be in the forefront to be captain, and that was the case with Patrice," said Ferguson.

"He's a very popular player with a good personality, which is important to have if you're captain of a club like ours. He's very friendly and has got a good humour about him, but he's also quite a determined lad.

"Rio would have been captain if he hadn't had all those inconsistencies in terms of his injuries.

"Patrice has got different qualities to Rio. He's not as voluble, but certainly influences a lot of things, and his own team performance, for instance, is very good."