Manchester United are facing a major midfield injury crisis after Paul Scholes was ruled out of tonight's Champions League clash with Dynamo Kiev with a knee problem.

Scholes suffered the injury in training at the Olympic Stadium last night and will have a scan on his return to Manchester to discover the exact extent of the problem.

"Paul will miss the match," Ferguson told MUTV. "He got a knee injury in training on Monday night and he will have a scan when we get him home.

"It is unfortunate, but these things happen and I am sure we have enough experience to cope."

John O'Shea or Darren Fletcher should replace Scholes in the United line-up but Ferguson will desperately hope the 32-year-old is not too seriously hurt.

Already, United are without two experienced midfielders in Owen Hargreaves and Michael Carrick.

Although Hargreaves could be available for the crunch Premier League encounter with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on November 3rd, he is unlikely to play against Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Carrick, who dislocated his elbow against Roma earlier this month, is not due back until the end of next month.

Scholes has already been sidelined by one knee injury this term after being forced to fly home from the club's Far East tour with a cartilage problem that forced him to miss the remainder of United's pre-season campaign, although he did figure in the opening-day draw with Reading.