Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic has hailed the recent displays of central defensive teammate Jonny Evans.

Vidic has been out of the Red Devils side with injury since December, leaving Evans to fill in alongside Rio Ferdinand at the heart of United's back four.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side are now ahead of neighbours Manchester City in the Premier League table and Vidic has pointed to Evans's performances as a big part of their title charge.

"Jonny has been playing really well in the last few games. It's good for the team to have stability at the back and is the way to win the title," said Vidic.

"It's a nice feeling and Jonny has come up from the youth team, so it's his dream and it's nice for him.

"I think [United's young defenders] are doing very well. If you look at their age and the expectation we have for them, it wasn't that high, but they turned out to be important players for the team."

Evans scored his first goal for the champions in their 5-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.