Manchester United have revealed that Dimitar Berbatov's hamstring injury is not as bad as first feared.
The Bulgarian striker picked up the problem while away on international in midweek and will definitely sit out the Red Devils' Premier League clash with Aston Villa on Saturday.
The sight of their £31m man limping off against Serbia on Wednesday came as a major concern to the Old Trafford medical staff, but further tests have helped to ease their worries.
The 27-year-old is expected to sit out United's UEFA Champions League clash with Villarreal next week, and possibly the Manchester derby against City, but Sir Alex Ferguson is confident the languid front-man will not be sidelined for too long.
"It's a slight strain rather than a tear, so that is positive news," said the United boss.
Meanwhile, Ferguson also confirmed that Wes Brown has undergone exploratory surgery on a niggling ankle complaint.
"I would have thought Wes will be out for between four and five weeks, which is disappointing," he added.
"Fortunately we have plenty of cover at right-back, with Gary Neville, Rafael Da Silva and John O'Shea available to come in."
Ferguson also believes that the Football Association's Respect campaign is in danger of collapse as human nature dictates that errors will be made, resulting in managers becoming irate at referees.
"The (disciplinary panel's) job is not to consider the performance level of referees," he added.
"You will always get inconsistent decisions because every referee has their own opinions of things and his own judgement about things. That is one of the great things about our game.
"That has not changed from the day refereeing started."
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