Simpson out as Nev nears return

United defender Danny Simpson will again taste life in the Championship after being allowed to join Ipswich Town on loan until the end of the season.

The Reds right-back played 14 league games on loan at Sunderland last year, helping Roy Keane's side to win promotion to the top flight.

This season, Simpson has played in eight matches for United but the last of these was at the end of January when he came on as substitute in the FA Cup win over Tottenham. Although he was named in the 16 again for the Manchester derby on 10 February, Danny's opportunities have diminished during March.

“I’ve let Danny Simpson go on loan to Ipswich, a good football team, until the end of the season,” Sir Alex Ferguson announced on Friday morning.

“It’s good for the lad - with Gary Neville coming back, the boy needs games.”

United captain Neville played another 90 minutes for the reserves on Thursday night and now “isn’t far away” from a first-team return according to Sir Alex.

The Reds boss was also pleased to see Mikael Silvestre play for the second string in their 4-1 derby win over Manchester City. Sir Alex said:

“For someone who hasn’t played for seven months, Mikael showed tremendous energy."