Manchester Uniteds Danny Welbeck missing for Chelsea clash

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed that the 22-year-old will not be involved in the Old Trafford encounter, when Paul Scholes is expected to return.

"Danny is out for Sunday," Ferguson said. "We hope to have Paul Scholes on the bench to get him back in the fray."

Scholes has been missing since January with a knee injury and it is widely anticipated he will call time on his career at the end of the season. And Ferguson has already pencilled the 38-year-old in for next weekend's clash with Swansea.

Although the Premier League trophy has not been collected yet, Ferguson is already planning for next season. On Thursday, executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward indicated there was no need for United to spend huge amounts of money this summer. Ferguson agrees, hinting there have been times this year when he has been trying to manage too many players.

"Tweak is the right word," he said. "We maybe look at one or two bodies to come in. You have to remember we have a lot of young players we expect to improve. We have to take that into consideration."

Big name players have been linked with United, though, most recently Robert Lewandowski, Radamel Falcao and Gareth Bale. And, after reporting record third-quarter results, Ferguson is confident the Glazer family will deliver if he needs a marquee signing.

"Any time we have asked for money from the owners they have delivered," he said. "That will apply itself this year. There is no doubt about that."

Ferguson is presently preparing for Sunday's meeting with Europa League finalists Chelsea, and old adversary Rafael Benitez, knowing the Londoners are stuck between trying to win a trophy and qualifying for the Champions League.

"He is very concerned about his CV. He refers to it quite a lot," said Ferguson. "But you can't dispute the fact he has done a good job in the last few weeks. The key to it is that the fans have settled down a little bit. They have left him alone. He has got on with managing his job."

Source: PA

Source: PA