Manchester United captain Gary Neville has taken the latest stride towards a first-team return after completing 73 minutes for the reserves.

The full-back, who has not played a Premier League game for almost exactly a year, started last night's 1-0 defeat at Sunderland.

It was Neville's longest competitive outing since finally recovering from a combination of ankle and groin problems.

He even had a chance to notch a rare goal but was thwarted from close range by Black Cats goalkeeper Marton Fulop.

Wes Brown has deputised for Neville in his absence but a return to action for the full-back would be a timely boost at the business end of the season with both the league and the Champions League on Alex Ferguson's agenda.