Scholes out for three months

MANCHESTER UNITED midfielder Paul Scholes will have a knee operation on Thursday and is expected to be out of action for three months.

The 32-year-old reported the injury during training prior his side’s Champions League win over Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday.

United boss Alex Ferguson confirmed on Friday a first scan proved inconclusive — but a second examination yesterday has confirmed ligament damage, meaning Scholes will now be out of action until February.

It is a big blow for Scholes, and also for United, even though the return of Owen Hargreaves for Saturday's Barclays Premier League win over Middlesbrough and the imminent return to training of Michael Carrick — who dislocated an elbow against Roma earlier this month — negate the impact slightly.

For over a decade, Scholes has been one of the mainstays of Ferguson’s side and his unerring ability to produce goals at vital times has aided many of the Red Devils trophy successes down the years.