Nemanja Vidic will return for United on Saturday against Wigan, but that good news was offset by confirmation that Rio Ferdinand will be out for up to a month.
Sir Alex confirmed the return of one of his favoured central defenders on Friday, but conceded that a minor muscle tear in Rio's thigh will keep him out for "hopefully three, but maybe four" weeks.
"We don't have any new injuries from Wednesday night. They're all fit," Ferguson told his pre-match press conference.
"The one position we're hoping for an improvement in is with Vidic. He's trained now for 10 days and he is ready for a game. Hopefully he'll be OK for Saturday.
"Gary Neville played 15 minutes at Burnley and he could be ready too, and that gives us experience at an important time after the defeat on Wednesday."
In Neville and Vidic, Sir Alex will welcome back plenty of experience into a defensive unit that has been shorn of familiarity so far this season.
"Experience is important," the Reds boss added. "And the kind of experience that Gary brings is great for us, while Vidic's performance levels since he's been with us have been outstanding. We'll get that back on Saturday and that'll help us
In addition, the 30-year old now seems certain to miss the next two England games, starting with a friendly against Slovenia on 5 September, then a World Cup qualifier against Croatia four days later.
-M.S.
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