Vidic looks forward to Rio's return

Nemanja Vidic expects to pick up exactly where he left off when Rio Ferdinand returns to action next month.

Ferdinand is on the verge of a shock comeback after recovering from the major knee ligament injury he suffered immediately before the World Cup in a freak collision with Emile Heskey.

Despite playing alongside Ferdinand in just 15 occasions in the whole of last season, Vidic said: "We didn't play that much together over the last year but we were alongside each other for four-and-a-half years. We know each other very well."

The England skipper's return to training has come too late for him to be involved in Manchester United's Premier League encounter with West Ham on Saturday, or the Three Lions' Euro 2012 double-header with Bulgaria and Switzerland.

However, with a reserve team outing possible next week, Ferdinand could be in contention for the clashes with Everton and Liverpool, which neatly sandwich the Battle of Britain Champions League duel with Rangers at Old Trafford on September 14.

Vidic added: "We have to reach the right form and play every week to feel well from a personal perspective. But over the years we have shown we have a good relationship. I don't see any reason why it should be different in the future."

This weekend at least, Vidic is more concerned about not losing any more ground to Chelsea.

While he feels it is too early to start talking about playing catch-up, he does recognise the need for improvement against West Ham, one of the least taxing opponents in what is set to be another tough campaign.

"This season the Premier League is stronger than it was and we know how many points the top teams lost last season," he said.

"We don't have to get down on ourselves after two games. We are trying to improve our form and by the end of the season we want to be in the right place. That is the most important thing."