Double trouble as Giggs injured, Scholes sent off

Man Utd 0 Lille 0

The United boss did not discover the extent of Giggs’ injury until the Welshman was substituted seven minutes from time.

It was a dismal way for the veteran wide-man to mark his 100th European appearance for the Red Devils and although Ferguson is yet to discover the seriousness of the problem, it would be a major surprise if he is playing again within a couple of months.

“He won’t be fit for Tottenham on Saturday anyway,” said Ferguson.

“I think he got caught by an elbow but it was only when we took him off we realised the extent of the problem.

Giggs joins a lengthy United sick list, which also includes skipper Roy Keane, Gabriel Heinze, Gary Neville and Quinton Fortune, plus Wes Brown and Louis Saha, whose comebacks are imminent at least.

“Wes and Louis have started training and could be involved against Barnet next week,” said Ferguson.

“Gary has started running but it will be two weeks before he is anywhere near the football part. But Roy is nowhere near and Quinton isn’t either.”

To compound the problem, Paul Scholes will sit out the return clash with Lille in Paris in a fortnight’s time after being sent off for two bookable offences.

It was the third time Scholes has been dismissed in United colours and Ferguson felt the former England star had fallen victim to a fussy referee in Italian Stefano Farina.

“He was giving fouls all night, so the game never really got started,” observed the United boss.

“I would have to see the incidents again but Paul conceded three fouls all night, one of which was for a handball when he clearly headed it, and he gets sent off, while their number four (Efstathios Tavlaridis) committed how many fouls and didn’t even get booked.

“It is a difficult one to call but in European football, some referees are very strict - and he was one of them.”

Scholes is the second United player to see red in this Champions League campaign alone and the hosts badly missed the influence of Wayne Rooney, who was serving the final game of the two-match ban he picked up for his needless expulsion in Villarreal.

Against opponents quite happy to hit on the break and without Rooney’s guile to call on, United failed to open Lille up and Ferguson will be grateful to be able to call on the teenager at the Stade de France on November 2.

The effects of Rooney’s dismissal in Villarreal were still being felt at Old Trafford as United laboured badly in his absence.

Almost to a man, the home side badly underperformed and there was no-one to fire them up.

Given the England star’s notoriously short fuse and the desire of Italian referee Stefano Farina to dish out his cards - seven in all, including two for Scholes - it was probably just as well Rooney was missing. But without his invention, Ferguson’s side were poor and not many worse than Rio Ferdinand.

The £29million man was expected to respond positively to the proverbial kick up the backside after being dropped by England, yet within 10 minutes of the first whistle, Ferdinand was committing the kind of crass blunder which has scarred his season to date.

Without looking, the central defender aimed a back header at Edwin van der Sar which served no other purpose than to give Peter Odemwingie a clear run into United’s box.

Villarreal’s draw with Benfica at least maintained United’s position at the head of Group D and a win and two draws from their remaining three fixtures will virtually guarantee a passage into the last 16.

MAN UTD: Van der Sar, Bardsley, Ferdinand, Silvestre, O’Shea, Fletcher, Scholes, Smith, Ronaldo, van Nistelrooy, Giggs (Park 83).

LILLE: Sylva, Vitakic, Tavlaridis, Schmitz, Tafforeau, Debuchy (Keita 83), Makoun, Bodmer, Chalme, Odemwingie (Moussilou 73), Acimovic (Dernis 60).

Ref: Stefano Farina (Italy).