Man Utd lose Scholes for 10 weeks

Paul Scholes will be out of action for up to ten weeks after suffering medial ligament damage in Manchester United's 3-0 Champions League win over Aalborg, the club revealed on Wednesday.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson had estimated that he without the midfielder for six to eight weeks in the immediate aftermath of the match in Denmark.

But the club's medical staff confirmed on Wednesday that a longer lay-off is on the cards, presenting Ferguson with a major headache in terms of his midfield options just as United appeared to be emerging from a sluggish start to the season.

United are already without Michael Carrick, who will not be back for at least another month after breaking a bone in his foot in the 2-1 defeat at Liverpool on September 13.

To add to United's problems in midfield, Owen Hargreaves appears to have suffered a recurrence of the knee problems which have dogged him since he arrived at Old Trafford last year and was unable to make the trip to Denmark.

A ten-week lay-off would mean Scholes, 33, would not return to action until Tottenham visit Old Trafford on December 13, immediately before United head to Japan for the World Club Championship.

The experienced campaigner will miss all of United's four remaining matches in their Champions League group as well as key Premier League away games at Everton, Arsenal and Manchester City. In total the 33-year-old could miss 16 matches.

There was no update from United on the extent of the ankle injury which forced Wayne Rooney off the pitch on Tuesday evening.

The England forward was taken off as a precaution after taking a knock but Ferguson admitted afterwards he was keeping his fingers crossed that there had been no ligament damage.

Rooney has been declared doubtful for United's trip to Blackburn on Saturday. If he misses that match then his participation in England's October 11 and 15 World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Belarus could be in doubt.

United have plenty of cover in attack now that Cristiano Ronaldo is back in action although the Portuguese winger had admitted he is still short of full match fitness following his comeback from ankle surgery after Euro 2008.

“It will be another two or three weeks before I can give 100 percent,” he said in the wake of the win in Aalborg. “I am very happy to be back but my ankle has still not fully recovered. I still feel it a little bit.”