Ferdinand out of Boro clash

Rio Ferdinand will sit out Manchester United’s Barclays Premier League match against Middlesbrough at Old Trafford on Monday.

The England defender suffered a back spasm before the side claimed a narrow victory at Stoke.

Patrice Evra is again ruled out through suspension while Dimitar Berbatov is pushing for a recall to the team after making an impact when he stepped off the bench yesterday.

Provisional squad: Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Amos, Neville, Vidic, O’Shea, Evans, Rafael, Ronaldo, Anderson, Giggs, Park, Carrick, Nani, Scholes, Fletcher, Gibson, Berbatov, Rooney, Tevez, Welbeck.