Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed Rio Ferdinand has not cracked a
rib and hopes to be available for Manchester United’s Champions
League semi-final second leg away to Arsenal on Tuesday.
The injury setback could have been a significant blow to
Ferguson’s hopes of retaining United’s English and European crowns
/i> as Ferdinand was thought to be out for the Premier League
fixtures against Middlesbrough, Manchester City, Wigan and Arsenal,
as well as next week’s semi-final second leg at the Emirates.
The central defender has had X-rays on the problem and now looks
set to give his side a boost in a vital period of the season.
Ferdinand was allowed home in the early hours of Thursday
morning after being assessed at a Salford hospital, undergoing
tests to determine whether he had suffered a punctured lung.
Ferdinand left the field clutching his right side after he ran
into Eduardo, and moments later he was sandwiched between keeper
Edwin van der Sar and Nicklas Bendtner contesting a high ball.
“Rio is desperate to play but he’ll take medical advice and
won’t jeopardise anything to the detriment of the team,” said a
source close to the player.
“He was in a bad way after the injury but it was typical of him
that he wanted to come straight back on and didn’t know he’d
already been subbed.”