[funkdoctorspock]

Tweety out for the season with a acl/mcl injury. Our leftback situation is rather thin. Time for the kiddies to step up until O'Shea gets heathly again.

Get well soon Tweety. As much as I'm on your case, I wouldn't wish this injury on any footballer.

Manchester United have suffered a blow after learning that Mikael Silvestre will miss the rest of the season with a cruciate knee ligament injury.

Silvestre, 30, was stretchered off just before half-time in Saturday's 1-0 win at Everton after collapsing in pain.

Defender Silvestre's appearances have been limited this season because of Patrice Evra's good form.

But his injury leaves United short of defensive cover at left-back following Gabriel Heinze's move to Real Madrid.

It is also the latest in a series of knee injuries to hit the Old Trafford camp.

Park Ji-Sung and England keeper Ben Foster are both at different stages of recovery from cruciate ligament surgery, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer announced his retirement this month after failing to recover from a long-term knee complaint.

John O'Shea is also out after sustaining an injury on Republic of Ireland duty last week, while youngsters Gerard Pique and Johnny Evans are likely to be among Ferguson's squad when United open their Champions League campaign against Sporting Lisbon in Portugal on Wednesday.
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[GocartMozart]

yeah i saw this happen, and immediately i thought he was done. tweety still gave the change sign. he hasn't been too bad this season either. by far the best passer in the backline.

are we really left with o'shea as the only option?

[funkdoctorspock]

Yep, O'Shea and the kiddies are United's options for lb after Evra.

Some good news on the injury front. Both Rooney and Hargreaves are fit again to face Sporting.

Manchester United have been boosted by the availability of Wayne Rooney and Owen Hargreaves for their clash with Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday.

The pair both missed England's recent Euro 2008 qualifiers but are now fit for the start of the Red Devils' UEFA Champions League campaign.

Hargreaves has been absent with a knee injury while Rooney has not featured since fracturing his foot against Reading on the opening weekend of the season.

However, the pair have returned to training and Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed they will both be in his squad that travels to Portugal.

Available

"They'll both be okay for Wednesday," Ferguson told MUTV.

"We took medical advice on Wayne and as he had only started training on Monday, we felt that five days' training was maybe a bit short.

"But he trained on Saturday morning, Sunday and he'll train right through until Wednesday. By that point he will definitely be available for the match against Sporting."
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[GocartMozart]

owen is still doubt

o'shea is also out with a knee injury. so basically left back is really thin

[Dirtycheat]

we really need ought to to close this thread, i cant take it any more.

[lytec]

at least rooney is back now.

[bgtroll]

Originally Posted by lytec

at least rooney is back now.

and for a man that was almost a month out, he performed very well in the match with Sporting. And hope that he'll be in better condition for the next match with Chelsea.

[lytec]

he just seems to have a drive and determination to play.He really seems to love playibng the game like no others I have seen for awhile

[GocartMozart]

Silvestre back in march supposedly

http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=473151

Reds' injury boost

Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed Mikael Silvestre could play again this season, despite damaging cruciate knee ligaments at Goodison Park on 15 September.

Initial reports claimed the Frenchman would miss the rest of United's 2007/08 campaign but the United boss told Manchester United Radio he expects the 30-year-old to be fit for the title run-in.

"I'm sure Mikael will be back in March," Sir Alex said. "We had him operated on in France last week and it all went well. It was pleasing to see there was no further damage other than the cruciate ligament. That's a big bonus because sometimes there can be cartilage problems that also come along."

Meanwhile, the manager also confirmed Gary Neville will begin full training today.

"Gary will be training with us this week for the first time. He's been working hard on his fitness but he's now fully into the football side of things as well. It's pleasing news because it's been a long time for the lad. We're very, very pleased.

"He's been unlucky and just had one injury on top of another. It's just an accumulation of small injuries that has set him back. Hopefully he's now on the mend and we're looking forward to having him back."

[funkdoctorspock]

What was Hargreaves injury record with Bayern?

Hargreaves ruled out of qualifiers

Manchester United's joy at their hard-earned Champions League win over Roma was tempered by the news that Owen Hargreaves is expected to be out for three to four weeks with tendonitis.


The England midfielder pulled up with the injury in training yesterday and the United management team decided there was no option but to treat the problem with an injection.

As a result he looks set to miss England's forthcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers with Estonia and Russia later this month.

Speaking after the 1-0 win at Old Trafford, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: 'Owen has had an injection in his knee and he'll be out for three to four weeks.

'This is an option we had from the very start, and if it resurfaced again we (decided we) would do that.

'So he's had an injection to try to clear the tendonitis in his knee.'

Ferguson did, however, confirm that no operation would be necessary.

Ferguson also praised match-winner Wayne Rooney after his first goal of the season earned them the 1-0 win.

'It was only his fourth or fifth match and he is still trying to get his rhythm and real match fitness,' he said.

'It will do him good. Goals always do players good, particularly when goals are expected of them, so I'm pleased with that.'

Ferguson felt United deserved their victory on the back of their second-half performance, although they had to ride their luck late on as Roma missed a number of chances.

He added: 'Maybe the first half was a bit more tactical and we played with far too much caution. In the second half I think we improved and the goal was a fabulous goal.

'It was great movement and good passing which gave us the penetration we were looking for and created the opening for Wayne's excellent goal.

'We controlled most of the match. We tired a little bit towards the end when they started to take risks going for an equaliser but in the main I think we deserved the result.'

Ferguson's side now have maximum points and face the prospect of qualifying for the knockout stages ahead of a return trip to Rome.

'Ten points will take us through and we have got six. Winning the first two matches gives us confidence and that controlling position (in the group),' Ferguson said.

'Our next two games are against Kiev and hopefully we will add to those points. We did not want to go to Rome looking for points in our last game. That would be difficult but hopefully we won't have to worry about that.'

United finished the game with 10 men after Cristiano Ronaldo left the field with a head wound but there never any threat of a repeat of the off-the-field violence which marred United's game in Roma last season.

'I didn't see it but he said he was elbowed,' Ferguson said. 'He's had four stitches in his eyebrow. It's unfortunate because I think the game was played in good spirit. There was never really anything untoward in the match.

'The game was well refereed and well played by both teams with a good atmosphere about the players which was excellent because there was always the possibility in a match of this kind, given what happened last year, could set off a series of problems. But congratulations to both sets of players.'

Roma coach Luciano Spalletti was disappointed to leave empty handed but happy Roma restored their reputation following their 7-1 beating at Old Trafford in April.

He said: 'I think the team showed what happened in April was a blip. Tonight's performance showed there was a huge difference between what happened then and what happened now.

'When a team puts in a display like that it should not be a beaten side. If anyone deserved to score more goals it was us, rather than Manchester United.'

Spalletti added that midfielder Alberto Aquilani, who was carried off on a stretcher, sustained a serious muscle injury.
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