Owen Hargreaves and Rio Ferdinand will soon return from injury, but Michael Owen will join John O'Shea and Anderson on the sidelines for the rest of the season. Owen limped-off injured in the Carling Cup Final with a hamstring injury, blamed on Wembley's playing surface.

Sir Alex initially said Owen would be out only for a few weeks, but tests have revealed a much darker prospect for the striker, who had been looking for his place in England's World Cup Squad and will now require surgery.

"It's a bad blow for Michael and he's out for the season," said Sir Alex, looking disappointed. "It was more serious than we thought and he'll have an operation on Monday. It’s a terrible blow for the lad and disappointing for us, too. He never missed a training session all season. The heavy pitch at Wembley played some part, but it’s also bad luck."  

The boss confirmed that Owen Hargreaves will return from injury soon, and will play with the reserves on Thursday. The former Bayern Munich star hasn't played with The Reds since late 2008, undergoing double knee surgery to fix tendinitis problems. Hargreaves could now be in contention for Fabio Capello's squad, as the Italian failed to rule him out recently - citing a possible return to fitness.

Rio Ferdinand will also return after suffering a back strain, and might start alongside Nemanja Vidic for the first time since October against Wolves at the Molineux.

Wayne Rooney is likely to miss the trip on Saturday, along with Jonny Evans - both of whom picked-up knocks in the Carling Cup Final with Aston Villa. Rooney did, however, play with England midweek against Egypt - but was replaced by Carlton Cole late on after aggravating a previous knee injury.