Scholes to miss three games

PAUL SCHOLES is out of Manchester United's next three games just as Alex Ferguson is able to name his first-choice strike force again.

Within hours of declaring that Ruud van Nistelrooy ready to return from a knee injury for the home game with Charlton, Ferguson got the news he was fearing with Scholes' punishment for his clash with Middlesbrough's Doriva on February 11.

After requesting a personal hearing, the 29-year-old England international opted to admit the charge and then safeguard his FA Cup final place by spurning the offer of an appeal.