Manchester United captain Gary Neville is expected to make his playing return on Thursday for the reserve-team.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson told Manchester United Radio of his desire to reintroduce Neville to first-team action as soon as possible, although he admitted a Reserves run-out is perhaps more realistic at this stage.

"Gary's doing great," Sir Alex said. "We'll probably just wait for the next Reserves game to play him."

Neville, also speaking to the club's radio station, said he can't wait to take the field again, although concedes he may have a difficult time forcing his way back into the first XI.

"I've made myself available," he confirmed. "But with the way Wes [Brown] is playing - and Danny Simpson has been great, too - it might be a case of easing me back in over the space of a couple of weeks."

On his recovery, Neville added: "The worst part about it has been going into the gym every day. It's okay for a couple of weeks but after that it's just mundane and boring. The physios try to make it as exciting as possible for you, but there's only so much excitement you can get out of a rowing machine or a bike.

"Most of all, I miss going out on the pitch. I'm seeing the lads playing well and they're getting good results and I want to be part of it. Coming in every day and then not being able to train with my mates is hard. An hour and a half on the training pitch flies by, but an hour and a half in the gym can feel like three days."