United look to future with De Laet move

Sir Alex Ferguson's quiet pursuit of defensive talent for the days when he is long gone from Manchester United continued yesterday when the club unexpectedly announced that they had signed Stoke City's Belgian defender Ritchie De Laet on loan, on a three-year performance-related deal.

De Laet will have been known to United's coaching staff from his time at Royal Antwerp in his native country, who are one of United's partnership clubs. He has not played for Tony Pulis' first team since arriving in the Potteries for a fee of £100,000 in July 2007 but has done enough in the reserves to convince Ferguson and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, now United's reserve team manager, that he is worth a run in the second string.

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De Laet is a 20-year-old left-sided defender who can also play on the left wing. He impressed Dean Saunders during a brief loan period at Wrexham earlier this season, which was curtailed when the player suffered a hernia after three games. He also spent a month on trial at Bournemouth in July, playing just one friendly fixture against Portsmouth, and though untested at senior level would seem to offer potential as an attacking wing-back in the Patrice Evra mould. Taken with Rafael da Silva, who has been United's revelation this season with an attacking right back's game of great pace, plus the huge strides being taken by Jonny Evans – highly assured at centre-back and justifiably praised to the heavens at every opportunity by Ferguson – there is no denying that the next United manager's defence is being taken care of.

United do not appear to envisage De Laet operating beyond the reserves this season and the impressive form of Evra would appear to make the left-back slot pretty impeachable in any case. But the left-back cover is an issue for United. John O'Shea deputises and Fabio da Silva, twin brother of Rafael – the apparent long-term replacement for Gary Neville – is considered to be at least as promising a prospect as his twin though he is yet to feature for the club as he is recovering from a complicated shoulder injury.

The Royal Antwerp connection has been valuable to Ferguson, Danny Simpson among those players who have benefited from periods there, though another import for whom the Belgian side was a useful staging post – Dong Fangzhuo – is proof that there is no guarantee of making it at Old Trafford.

Nemanja Vidic, meanwhile, is adamant Wednesday night's surprise Carling Cup defeat at Derby will not have an adverse affect on United's performance against Chelsea this weekend. United tackle Luiz Felipe Scolari's men in a Premier League blockbuster at Old Trafford on Sunday knowing victory will drag them to within a point of the Blues, with two additional matches in hand. "The Premier League is different," the Serbia defender said. "We know what it means for both teams and we are looking forward. It will be a great game and we will be doing our best to win."

Vidic wonders if sub-consciously Manchester United eased off the pedal last night, keeping something in reserve for an eagerly-awaited confrontation which would leave Chelsea in big trouble if they lost.

"Maybe in the back of our minds we always recognised we would have a second chance," Vidic reflected. "Maybe that is why we didn't perform as we can and Derby took advantage of the fact we played badly."