Pips his team-mates Rio Ferdinand and Chris Smalling to the role and the hugely promising Matija Nastasic, while he also benefits from Vidic’s injury problems and Lescott’s spell in the wilderness. The 25-year-old is prone to the odd gaffe, but he’s growing into an increasingly mature and consistent performer over the course of the last year or so. He’s decent, if unspectacular in the air, but he’s positionally aware and as a 90% pass accuracy attests to, he’s also no slouch on the ball either. Was recently told by a United fan that he reminds him a lot of Steve Bruce in the fact that he shouldn’t really be any good, but he just works. As comparisons go, that’s not a bad one.
