He said: “Vidic has been the best centre-half in the country this season. He’s been absolutely outstanding. You could see the difference his partnership with Rio Ferdinand made to us on Saturday against Manchester City.
“It was absolutely peerless, a fantastic performance by both of them.
“That foundation of strength in the central defensive position is something we’ve been wanting for a long time, going back to Pallister and Bruce. We’ve had some good combinations but none lasted as long as hopefully these two will do.”
