Neville's comeback sees light

Gary Neville has been given a green light to make his long-awaited comeback from injury with an appearance for a second-string Manchester United side on Thursday.
The club captain has been sidelined with ankle and muscular injuries since March and his absence has allowed Wes Brown to establish himself as United's regular right-back while Manchester City's Micah Richards has displaced him as England's first-choice in his position.
Brown's fine form in an unfamiliar role makes it unlikely that, after such a long lay-off, Neville will feature in the top-of-the-table clash with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
But the 32-year-old made it clear that he is desperate to be back in the first-team squad sooner rather than later.
"Missing the end of last season was bad enough but then for it to go into this season is doubly frustrating," he said. "Hopefully it's over now and I can get back into the team.
"I've made myself available but with the way Wes is playing it might be a case of easing me back in over the space of a couple of weeks."
Provided Neville comes through the planned outing against Stockport on Thursday, the experienced defender may return to the first-team squad when United seek to book their place in the Champions League knockout stage by beating Dynamo Kiev at Old Trafford on November 7.
That would bring blessed relief for Neville, who has grown increasingly frustrated at his lack of action.
"The worst part about it has been going into the gym every day," he said. "It's okay for a couple of weeks but after that it's just mundane and boring. The physios try to make it as exciting as possible for you, but there's only so much excitement you can get out of a rowing machine or a bike. Most of all, I miss going out on the pitch.
"An hour and a half on the training pitch flies by, but an hour and a half in the gym can feel like three days.
"I'm seeing the lads playing well and they're getting good results and I want to be part of it."
Having Neville available again will come as a welcome boost for United boss Sir Alex Ferguson after the blow of learning that Paul Scholes needs a knee operation that will keep him out until February.
United are also currently without midfielder Michael Carrick and French duo Louis Saha and Patrice Evra.