Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that defender Phil Jones could be absent for a further 10 weeks.
The 20-year-old has yet to feature for the Red Devils this season after picking up an injury in training, and has recently undergone surgery which has extended his layoff by another two months.
However, it is mixed news on the injury front for Ferguson, with Jones's England teammate Chris Smalling nearing a return to training as he recovers from his broken foot.
Ferguson said: "On the injury front, everyone is fit, apart from the ones we know about - Jones and Smalling.
"Jones was a bad blow for us. He got an injury in training last weekend and he'll be out for eight to 10 weeks.
"We expect Smalling to be back training by the end of the month. There's a little bit of comfort in that sense, given our centre-back situation. But with Jonny [Evans] back we're in a better position than we were a couple of weeks ago."
Meanwhile, Darren Fletcher has been named in the United squad to face Wigan Athletic on Saturday after missing 10 months with a bowel condition, while attacking duo Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa have shaken off knocks picked up on international duty and should feature at Old Trafford.
