Darren Fletcher's season may be at a premature end after it was confirmed that the midfielder will be out for six weeks with knee ligament damage.
The 24-year-old picked up the injury on international duty with Scotland. He was substituted seconds from the end of the 1-1 draw with Croatia at Hampden Park on Wednesday. For Sir Alex Ferguson, the injury raises question marks over international friendlies at such a crucial stage of the season.
"It's a bad blow that emphasises the futility of these games," he said. "Darren was recovering from a bad chest cold, which is why we rested him against Liverpool. He should have only played for 45 minutes, 60 at most, but he played the full game for Scotland. Now we've lost him for six weeks."
The Reds boss, who plans to make "two or three" changes for Aston Villa's visit to Old Trafford on Saturday, will be disappointed to lose Fletcher, who had turned in some excellent recent displays.
However, he is confident his squad has strength-in-depth and experience to cope with the demands of the title run-in. "There are some very interesting games ahead," he added. "I still believe the most consistent team will win the league. I'm confident in my squad. We've got proven winners and enthusiasm to succeed. We have to keep our momentum going and enjoy it."
Villa present a tough challenge, having taken points off all the other top four sides this season. "I find it interesting that Martin O'Neill works with a small band of 17 players. He picks virtually the same team every week, which provides consistency. The players' endurance is also impressive. That's why they're challenging for a UEFA Cup place. We look forward to the challenge."
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