Ferguson weighs up case for the defence

ALEX FERGUSON will spend the next 24 hours assessing his options following the shock news that Rio Ferdinand is out for at least three weeks.

Just a day after appearing at the opening of his club’s new Dublin megastore, where he talked enthusiastically about facing Everton in the Premiership tonight, Ferdinand enters hospital for exploratory knee surgery.

The decision was taken late on Saturday, with United officials informing England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson immediately after West Ham’s home defeat to Birmingham, which the Swede had attended. With his usual impeccable timing, Ferguson has ensured Ferdinand’s absence has caused minimal disruption to his own team.