It was not so much the actual loss against their Champions League rivals which caused the United hordes to fret, but the defending, particularly in a mad first half which saw Sir Alex Ferguson's men concede three times after Wayne Rooney had given them an early lead.

Ferguson admitted afterwards United would 'not beat anyone' if they carried on like that.

Yet Vidic, such a cornerstone of the Red Devils defensive improvement last term, does not believe there is a long-term problem that has to be addressed.

And the Serbian is convinced that when United tackle Chelsea in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday, their defensive unit will look a whole lot more convincing.

"It is a concern we gave those three goals away because we didn't keep our shape and we made a lot of mistakes," said Vidic.

"But Inter were a lot better team than anyone else we have played in pre-season so far, so if we are going to make those errors, it is better to do it against them than in another couple of weeks.

"No team plays that well at this stage, not even Chelsea or Arsenal. The main thing is we have three more days to prepare for Sunday's game. I am sure we will improve defensively and our overall performance will be much better."

John O'Shea went even further, insisting United would not have conceded such shoddy goals in a Premier League game.

"I am sure we won't see it again this season," said the Irishman.

Like his manager, O'Shea was heartened by other aspects of United's performance, not least the contribution of twin terrors Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

With Alan Smith's imminent departure following hot of the heels of Giuseppe Rossi's move to Villarreal, Rooney will be asked to play higher up the pitch than usual this term.

The tactic did not seem to blunt the England star's many gifts too much last night and with Ronaldo providing the back-up and the Carlos Tevez saga seemingly on the brink of being resolved, O'Shea is confident in United's attacking prowess.

"The squad is as strong as we have had for some time," he said.

"The quality we have in numbers is fantastic and the manager is going to have a tough time picking a team, which is a dream situation for him.

"On the counter-attack, the pace and ability of Wayne and Cristiano is going to be a major asset. Some of their one-touch football last night was fantastic."

Apart from his side's defending, the one area of caution for Ferguson is the inability to get his new signings on to the pitch.

Nani managed two matches on the recent Far East tour but remained in the stands last night, while both Owen Hargreaves and Anderson are yet to make their debuts.

Having spent a total of £50million on the trio, the delay is bound to be a source of frustration for Ferguson, although all that is set to change over the next 48 hours, when Hargreaves and Anderson are pencilled in to play some part in the friendlies at Doncaster tomorrow and Peterborough on Saturday.

Ferguson has already stated Anderson, like Nani, is a signing for the future.

Hargreaves is expected to be a key man now though, offering a defensive discipline in midfield that should allow free rein to United's host of attacking stars.

"Some players are worth waiting for - and Owen is one," said Ferguson.

"He was England's best player at the last World Cup. The energy he brings to the centre of our midfield and the European experience he has had with Bayern Munich will be priceless.

"I won't saddle him with comparisons to Bryan Robson, Roy Keane or Eric Cantona because every player is different.

"But what I can say is that, like those eminent predecessors, he will bring stature to his position and give me any number of options in terms of the role he will play."