Alex Ferguson has been left to curse the international fixture list as he faces the prospect of embarking on a three-week Premiership salvation mission without £28.1 million midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron.

Roy Keane, David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville and Nicky Butt will all miss this afternoon's Old Trafford showdown with Newcastle through injury and have virtually no chance of making the coming clashes with Liverpool and Arsenal either.

And, with Manchester United's squad already stretched to breaking point, Ferguson yesterday admitted he had serious reservations over pitching Veron into the televised encounter after the Argentinian international was forced to fly to the Far East for a midweek win over Japan.

Ferguson is concerned enough about the tiredness Ryan Giggs might be carrying after a six-and-a-half hour return journey from Azerbaijan.

But at least the Welsh winger returned home on Thursday night. Veron did not even land in London until yesterday lunchtime and, with a vital Champions League trip to Basel next week, Ferguson admitted his influential midfielder might not start against Bobby Robson's men.

With Phil Neville also missing through suspension, Ferguson could be forced into abandoning his policy of playing Ruud van Nistelrooy as a lone striker if Veron is not handed a starting berth.

Young Londoner Kieran Richardson was withdrawn during the interval of Thursday night's reserve team win over Aston Villa and is the most likely replacement, probably in a wide role, with Paul Scholes partnering Quinton Fortune in central midfield.

Already nine points behind leaders Arsenal, it is a dilemma Ferguson could well have done without and will not have improved his view on the merits of meaningless friendly internationals.

However, the Scot will not be using injuries as an excuse for failure, even though the continuing problems are threatening to wreck any chance of a title charge.

"The injuries are a negative thing to keep talking about," he said. "Sometimes you get these spells and you just have to see it through. Over the years we have always had a strong squad to cope with it. This squad is not as strong as it has been and that is something we have to look at.

"In any event, the team we played at West Ham on Sunday was good enough to have won and we were four minutes away from doing just that."

The two crumbs of comfort from last week's Upton Park showdown were the impressive performance of Fortune in the midfield holding role and the return of Wes Brown after three months on the sidelines with a fractured ankle.

For Newcastle, Craig Bellamy, who was withdrawn from the Wales squad to take on Azerbaijan on Wednesday due to a knee problem, has been included in Robson's 18-man squad.

Newcastle kick off their Champions League Group A campaign at home against Inter Milan on Wednesday.

Newcastle last won at Old Trafford in February, 1972, and captain Alan Shearer, who will be searching for his 100th Premier League goal for Newcastle, insists victory is far more important than a personal milestone.

"It will give me greater satisfaction to get the three points than to score my 100th league goal for Newcastle," he said.

"My goal will come. Whether it will be Saturday or in a month's time or two months, it will come. It's just a matter of time so I am not concerned.

"What I am concerned about is going there and getting something out of the game which I feel we can."