Paul Scholes learned yesterday that he had escaped the injury that every footballer fears the most - the ruptured cruciate knee ligament - in Manchester United's 3-0 defeat of Aalborg in the Champions League, but the prognosis was still bad news for Sir Alex Ferguson, who will be without the central midfielder until mid-December.

Scholes, 33, damaged the medial ligaments in his right knee in a challenge with the Aalborg captain, Thomas Augustinussen, on Tuesday night. Whereas Ferguson had stated the former England international would miss at least six weeks, Old Trafford's doctors believe a 10-week rehabilitation is more realistic .

The better news for Ferguson is that Michael Carrick should be able to return to full training. Carrick cracked a bone in his foot during the 2-1 defeat at Liverpool on September 13 but hopes to be available for United's next home game against West Bromwich Albion on October 18.

Ferguson can also rely upon Anderson, Ryan Giggs, Darren Fletcher and John O'Shea to deputise in midfield. Yet Scholes's latest diagnosis, which conceivably rules him out of the Fifa World Club Cup in Tokyo in December, comes at a bad time for Ferguson, who remains concerned about Owen Hargreaves and his recurrent problems with tendinitis.

Wayne Rooney, who twisted his ankle against Aalborg, had a scan yesterday and is unlikely to face Blackburn Rovers on Saturday but should be fit for England's World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Belarus.