Manchester United's bid to clinch silverware has been handed a blow by the news Michael Owen will miss the rest of the campaign.
The 30-year-old was forced out of last Sunday's 2-1 Carling Cup final win against Aston Villa with a hamstring problem after scoring his side's equaliser in the game.
He initially though he would only miss a couple of weeks but the injury is worse than first thought and boss Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that Owen will miss their bid to clinch the Premier League and Champions League titles this term.
"Unfortunately it's bad blow with Michael Owen," said Ferguson. "He's out for the season. It's more serious than we thought.
"He gets operated on on Monday morning. It's a terrible blow for the lad and disappointing for us too. He's never missed a training session all season.
"I think the heavy pitch at Wembley played some part, but it's also bad luck."
The onus is now on United's remaining forwards, led by top scorer Wayne Rooney, to respond with the goals to fire the side to glory starting at Wolves on Saturday ahead of Wednesday's Champions League last-16 second-leg tie with AC Milan at Old Trafford.