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Berbatov misses Villa trip

02 December 2011, 14:41

Manchester United will travel to Aston Villa without striker Dimitar Berbatov as injuries continue to dog the Premier League champions, manager Alex Ferguson said on Friday.

The Bulgarian striker has an ankle injury, while Brazilian twins Rafael and Fabio will also miss Saturday's game (1730 GMT) after limping off in Wednesday's 2-1 defeat by Crystal Palace in their League Cup quarterfinal.

"At the moment, we're going through a spell where we're getting a few (injuries) a week but we have to get on with it," Ferguson told a news conference.

"It's not serious," he said of Berbatov's injury. "He got injured the week before and it was a recurrence of it."

The latest injuries come with midfielder Tom Cleverley and striker Michael Owen already sidelined for another few weeks, while midfielder Anderson has been ruled out until February with a knee injury.

The trip to Villa comes before Wednesday's key Champions League match at FC Basel, where United need a draw to avoid an embarrassing group-stage exit.

Ferguson's team are second in the Premier League, trailing leaders Manchester City by five points.

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