Scholes to return to training

Sir Alex Ferguson expects to have Paul Scholes back training next week after ordering his veteran midfielder to rest a troublesome groin injury.

Scholes has been absent since the Champions League victory at Rangers on November 24 and will not be involved at West Brom on New Years Day or, almost certainly, against Stoke next Tuesday.

But Ferguson is confident he will have his veteran star back soon, and said: "Paul had a little recurrence of the groin injury. We just told him to have a complete break, which is what he has done. Hopefully that break will get rid of the injury problem through rest and we will have him back training sometime next week."