Alan Maybury has forgiven Lazio's Pavel Nedved for the shocking challenge in Wednesday's Champions League match which left the young Leeds and Republic of Ireland player fearing another injury. Maybury, who has suffered a broken leg and shin splints in the last three years, was yesterday still waiting on a diagnosis on his latest injury.

Czech international Nedved produced a studs-first, knee-high challenge which left Maybury (22), writhing in agony as the game came to a close.

Maybury's agony was compounded by Sinisa Mihajlovic immediately scoring a spectacular free-kick to clinch a 3-3 draw at Elland Road.

Leeds manager David O'Leary later described Nedved's challenge as "disgraceful", but Maybury showed a remarkable degree of clemency, although he was grateful he didn't leave the ground with the aid of crutches.

"There was a niggly incident just before it when I blocked him off and he wasn't happy about it. He later apologised for the challenge, and I'm not one to hold any grudges because these things happen," said Maybury, who was making first senior appearance after an injury-ravaged three years.

Luck has clearly not been on Maybury's side and he conceded there were times when he thought his Leeds career was over. "It took me the best part of a year to get back to where I was following the shinsplits injury, and then I broke my leg, but these things happen.

"There were then opportunities where I thought I had a half-chance of playing, but it didn't happen. I knew I just had to keep working hard."

Leeds, Manchester United and Arsenal finished runners-up in their respective qualifying groups, so the three English clubs will avoid each other in today's quarter-final draw, a fact which has pleased Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.

"I am not under-estimating English teams. But European football is a different type of football from our normal humdrum game - and it's a grind," he told his club's website. "When we play Arsenal or Leeds it is sometimes a battle. You play in an English game, and it is an English game."

Meanwhile, Denis Irwin is set to become only the sixth player in Manchester United's history to make 500 appearances. The Republic of Ireland defender will reach that milestone on Saturday - St Patrick's Day - if selected for the game against Leicester at Old Trafford.

Bobby Charlton, Bill Foulkes, Alex Stepney, Tony Dunne and Joe Spence are the men who have reached the landmark figure.