Rio Ferdinand will miss Manchester United's Boxing Day clash with Wigan, but Sir Alex Ferguson is hopeful he will return to face Blackburn.
The England defender was omitted from the starting line-up for Wednesday's 5-0 victory over Fulham after picking up a foot injury at Queens Park Rangers over the weekend.
Ferguson later revealed that Ferdinand would not be fit for the festive home game against the Latics, but could be back on New Year's Eve.
"Rio got a knock on the foot against QPR. I think he will be available for Blackburn, not Wigan," said Ferguson.
United suffered further injury problems at Craven Cottage to leave Ferguson with some tricky selection decisions for the games after Christmas.
Ashley Young will be sidelined for two to three weeks after being forced off by a tough tackle from Dickson Etuhu early in the second half.
Young had only come on as a substitute when Phil Jones damaged his jaw in a clash with Clint Dempsey, and the versatile defender will now undergo an X-ray on Thursday.
