Manchester United’s unbeaten record in all competitions this season hung by a thread as they were two goals down at Aston Villa last weekend with only nine minutes remaining.

But Villa’s two goals arrived in the space of four minutes. And United repeated that trick to salvage a point.

As United’s injury problems continue, a potential boost emerged from Wayne Rooney’s return from his “rehabilitation” trip to the United States, with hints that the troubled talisman could be back in first-team contention earlier than originally planned.

Meanwhile, United’s finances came under renewed scrutiny as the announcement of quarterly results coincided with news that a significant part of the money borrowed by the Glazer family to buy the club will soon be repaid in full.

And long-serving manager Sir Alex Ferguson re-iterated his desire to avoid retirement for a while yet, in a speech to a sports conference in the Middle East.

 

United were two-nil down and heading for defeat at Villa before young Italian striker and substitute Federico Macheda – who came to United prominence with a dramatic late winner against Villa two seasons ago – thumped the ball home in the 81^st minute.

And centre-half Nemanja Vidic’s diving header four minutes later stretched United’s longest unbeaten start to an EPL season to thirteen games, albeit with seven draws.

Rooney may make a surprise return to first-team action this weekend when United play host to Wigan Athletic.

The 25-year-old has been out since October 16^th with persistent ankle trouble and recently returned from a week in Oregon in the western United States, where he had “intensive conditioning” on the problem.

Ferguson said this week: “Wayne has had a good week in Oregon, he’s done well. So we’ll see if he’s ready for the first team. The only evidence we will have is on the training field.”

Ferguson’s assistant, Mike Phelan, echoed those sentiments, saying: “We will have a look and then build towards the weekend.”

Ferguson was speaking at a sports conference in Qatar.

And the 69-year-old told his audience he was “too old to retire” from his role as Old Trafford supremo, as he approaches his 25^th anniversary in the United hot seat.

He said, tongue-in-cheek: “Retirement is for young people. I’m too old to retire.”

But he added on a more serious note that “As long as my health is in good condition, I will carry on. My family will make this decision.”

United’s owners, the Florida-based Glazer family, this week revealed that they planned to repay, in full, private loans they had taken out to fund their 2005 purchase of the club.

£220m in “payment-in-kind” loans were a source of extreme worry for United fans, who believed the Glazers would use United profits – the only significant ones currently being made in the Glazers’ business empire – to repay them.

The Glazers have not revealed precisely how they have funded these repayments. But the club were quick to confirm that “there has been no dividend of club cash” to do so.