Another two Manchester United loyalists claimed yesterday to have been bored and frustrated by the match-day experience at Old Trafford in recent months, but, for Gary Neville and Paul Scholes, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Both players believe they are on course to return to action, after long-term injury, and to lend their experience to a Barclays Premier League title challenge that has little margin for error, according to Neville.

Their frustration lies with watching games – rather than with the atmosphere at Old Trafford, which has been criticised by Sir Alex Ferguson and by some of the club’s supporters – with Scholes, 33, admitting that he finds watching games “boring”. But both players hope to return to competitive action soon, Neville later this month after almost ten months out with ankle and calf injuries, and Scholes in mid-February, having been absent since October with cruciate knee ligament damage.

Neville believes that an unforgiving fixture list – and the form of Wes Brown, his deputy at right back for the past ten months – means he may have to be patient before returning to action, but that has not stopped the captain, 33 next month, warning his teammates of the pitfalls ahead.

“We’re starting 2008 in a good position,” Neville said. “Having said that, I don’t think we can afford to lose another three games – maybe only one or two now. But right now we’re still in contention for the title and that’s all you can ask for. We would definitely have taken our current position at the start of 2007. And the most important games are still to come.”

Ferguson looks forward to welcoming back both players but his more immediate priority is in attack, where Wayne Rooney hopes to recover from illness to play in tomorrow’s FA Cup third-round tie away to Aston Villa. Carlos Tévez fears he will miss out because of an ankle injury.