Manchester United have been handed a boost with the news that Phil Jones' facial injury is not as serious as first feared.
Defender fit to face Wigan, but Young out until New Year
Manchester United have been handed a boost with the news that Phil Jones' facial injury is not as serious as first feared.
Jones was forced off in the early stages of Wednesday's win at Fulham after being caught in the face by an elbow from Clint Dempsey.
It was feared the England star may have fractured his cheekbone in the incident, but scans have shown that Jones only suffered bruising and he should be fit for the Boxing Day clash with Wigan.
"Phil should be okay for Monday," said Ferguson. "There's a bit of swelling in his jaw but no break, no fracture, which is good news.
"We feared the worst because he lost his vision a bit in that period when he came back onto the field. Thankfully it's good news."
Young blow
However, Ashley Young will miss the festive period after picking up a knee injury at Craven Cottage following a tackle by Dickson Etuhu.
"It's not so good for Ashley Young," added Ferguson. "He'll be out for a few weeks. Ashley was tripped as he went into the next tackle. He wasn't positioned to go into that next tackle - he was half falling at the time.
"The second tackle was a hard tackle - not a bad tackle - it was just the way he went into Ashley. He's taken a real clump and has a knee injury that will keep him out for a few weeks."
United have been forced to deal with a crippling injury list in recent weeks, but Ferguson believes they have coped well at losing a number of key players.
"As we get one back, we're losing one," continued Ferguson. "It's not an easy spell for us. We just have to get on with it. The squad has handled the situation quite well."
