Michael Owen looks set to miss Manchester United's final weeks of the season as he suffered a groin injury at United's Carrington training base.
Owen, 31, has struggled with injuries during his career and spent three months out from October with a hamstring injury. His latest complaint reportedly occurred during shooting practice, with the Sun claiming that he told the club's coaching staff that his 'groin had gone'.
The striker has undergone a scan and is now expected to be sidelined for over a month after he was set to start against non-league Crawley in Saturday's FA Cup fifth round clash at Old Trafford.
Earlier this week, manager Sir Alex Ferguson claimed that Owen could play an important role in United's title run-in.
''I keep trying to get myself into a situation where I can play Michael Owen more often,'' he said. ''I haven't been completely fair that way. He is a terrific trainer and every time I play him he never lets me down.
''Michael is a phenomenal player in and around the box. You can make similarities in physique to Javier Hernandez. In and around the box, both of them are very dangerous players.''
"miss Manchester United's final weeks of the season"?? understatement, I think he can "retire" his red jersey..