Sir Alex: Nev was phenomenal

Gary Neville's contribution against Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday has been labelled "phenomenal" by Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Reds boss was delighted with club captain Neville, who, after completing 45 minutes against Aberdeen on 12 July, went one step further at Newlands Stadium.

Neville, 33, worked tirelessly at right back and sprinted past Darren Fletcher on numerous occasions to provide an extra man going forward. It's a sight Sir Alex and United fans have sorely missed over the last 16 months, as Neville fell victim to a string of injuries during his quest to recover from an initial ankle knock sustained in March 2007.

The only blot on Neville’s Cape Town performance came in the 37th minute when he brought down tricky winger Siphiwe Tshabalala to concede a penalty.

“Obviously his tackling’s not improved!” Ferguson joked at his post-match press conference.

“Seriously though, I’m very pleased. He played his first 45 minutes in 16 months against Aberdeen and a week later he’s managed another 60 minutes.

“Gary’s a remarkable man and, as everyone who’s played football will tell you, when you’re in your 30s and you’re forced out of the game for 16 months, the comeback is very difficult.

“But he showed tremendous enthusiasm [against Kaizer Chiefs] and the speed of his play was quite phenomenal.”