Manchester United's Capital One Cup clash with Newcastle arrives at a good time in the wake of Vidic's injury, certainly for the 'lucky' youngsters who will have a chance to audition for the role.
Chris Smalling and Phil Jones remain injured, while Rio Ferdinand has already stated he does not expect to be involved.
So who is next in line? It appears last year's Reserve Player of the Year Michael Keane is in with a shout, along with Scott Wootton, and the pair could form a partnership in the centre of defence if Sir Alex Ferguson decides to rest Jonny Evans too.
A third option is Swiss defender Frederic Veseli who was joined in January, but indications are that Keane and Wootton are ahead of him in the pecking order, even though the former Manchester City man will be desperate to make the step up from the under-21s.
Who is at the top of the pecking order to step up? Judging from Ferguson's previous team selection, the answer is Scott Wootton.
Wootton is a 21-year-old centre-back who made the switch from rivals Liverpool at just 16, and who has completed three loan spells in the lower leagues, at Tranmere, Peterborough, and Nottingham Forest.
For evidence he is on the very fringes of the first team, it was he rather than Keane who was included on the substitute's bench when United faced Everton in their opening game of the season, which they lost 1-0.
Sir Alex Ferguson opted to rather select Michael Carrick at centre-back for the match, no slight on Wootton, more a reflection of the tough encounter expected, and which was proved. The mauling Carrick took from Fellaini would have been far more damaging for Wootton to recover from, even if it would have been character-building stuff.
With Vidic injured and Carrick required in the centre of the park, Ferguson can dither on the youngsters no longer, and now is the time to throw in Scott Wootton, sink or swim.
If he passes the test, against a tough Newcastle side, no matter who is selected - and the awkward Shola Ameobi could be an opponent, the reward of joining the first team squad on a regular basis is there for him - at least until the injury crisis clears.
He also has the attribute of being able to play at right-back, as he did for Nottingham Forest at the end of last season. In a week where United have come up trumps over Liverpool, it would be perhaps further galling for their rivals to see a Merseyside-born defender who quit their academy step up and take his opportunity as the Red Devils' next star.
Do you have faith Wootton can make the step up?
image: © eirikref
Dan Coombs
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Dan Coombs is a writer who is keen to embrace the internet revolution. He first started writing for us in June 2011 and commenced his new role as Sports Editor in February 2012.
As a trained journalist he has met famous faces from Mr T to Boris Johnson. He once featured in an England World Cup music video too, but it did not make the charts.
He grew up wanting to be a Formula 1 driver, but it looks like this dream has passed him by. Instead, he hopes you enjoy reading his writing on our site, as we seek to debate the day's sporting hot topics.
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