Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed Antonio Valencia could be back in action sooner than expected.
It was feared Valencia might be ruled out of the rest of the season after fracturing his ankle and damaging ligaments against Rangers in midweek. But, after undergoing surgery, it now appears the damage is not quite as bad as the United boss initially feared.
“You can never be 100% accurate in these situations and it is a bad injury, but we are looking at the end of February, which is better than we thought on Tuesday,” said Ferguson.
Ferguson confirmed that the operation was successful and he is confident Valencia will make a full recovery.
“The operation has been successful and the break was clean, which was the major concern for us at the time,” added Ferguson.
“He is a strong boy, who is very positive about it.
“Being positive helps you in these situations, so we are very hopeful we will get him back then.”