Manchester United's injured captain Nemanja Vidic was always confident they would haul in Manchester City.

The Serbian is taking pride in his team-mate's achievements.

"I always believed we would challenge for the title," he said. "It doesn't matter who is out. Manchester United never depend on one player.

"If you look at the past, players have left and fans have said how are we going to cope?

"But the manager is the best at replacing players and the team still win titles and trophies.

"That is why Manchester United are so special."