Manchester United will be without winger Ashley Young for a fortnight after he suffered an ankle injury during Monday's 2-1 derby defeat to neighbours Manchester City at Old Trafford.
Manager Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed that the former Aston Villa man had been sidelined, saying: "Ashley is out - he took a whack on his ankle. He will maybe miss two weeks."
The news means Young is likely to miss three matches - Sunday's game against Stoke at the Britannia Stadium and clashes at West Ham and with Villa at Old Trafford.
However, Ferguson expects captain Nemanja Vidic to resume training on Friday after his recovery from a calf injury, while Jonny Evans should be available after recovering from a hamstring strain.
Paul Scholes, who has not played since January because of a knee problem, is likely to be back in training next week, and Ferguson said: "It will be a terrific boost to get his football intelligence back in the squad.
"He has been out for a few weeks, so we need to get him back out training with us."
He warned his players to expect a tough test at Stoke despite the 2013 slump in form that has seen Tony Pulis's side be drawn into the relegation scrap.
"It's still a difficult place to go to,'' Ferguson said. "Ask any manager and player - you know you have to perform to get a result there.
"The incentives are there for ourselves in the sense of we've only seven games left. The challenge at the start of the season was to win the league back and at, this moment in time, our consistency has been brilliant."
Manager Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed that the former Aston Villa man had been sidelined, saying: "Ashley is out - he took a whack on his ankle. He will maybe miss two weeks."
The news means Young is likely to miss three matches - Sunday's game against Stoke at the Britannia Stadium and clashes at West Ham and with Villa at Old Trafford.
However, Ferguson expects captain Nemanja Vidic to resume training on Friday after his recovery from a calf injury, while Jonny Evans should be available after recovering from a hamstring strain.Paul Scholes, who has not played since January because of a knee problem, is likely to be back in training next week, and Ferguson said: "It will be a terrific boost to get his football intelligence back in the squad.
"He has been out for a few weeks, so we need to get him back out training with us."
He warned his players to expect a tough test at Stoke despite the 2013 slump in form that has seen Tony Pulis's side be drawn into the relegation scrap.
"It's still a difficult place to go to,'' Ferguson said. "Ask any manager and player - you know you have to perform to get a result there.
"The incentives are there for ourselves in the sense of we've only seven games left. The challenge at the start of the season was to win the league back and at, this moment in time, our consistency has been brilliant."
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