MANCHESTER, England, April 26 (Reuters) - Laurent Blanc could miss Manchester United's semifinal return clash with Bayer Leverkusen after injuring his knee against the Germans in the 2-2 draw on Wednesday.
Blanc is definitely out of Saturday's English premier league trip to Ipswich Town after twisting his right knee in the first leg of the European tie.
His absence is a major headache for United, who are already without experienced defenders Gary Neville and Ronny Johnsen.
"We were going to take him off at halftime (against Bayer), but he wanted to carry on and unfortunately he's suffered for that," United manager Alex Ferguson told the Manchester Evening News.
"Now we will have to try and get him ready for Tuesday if we can."
Despite the defensive problems, Ferguson is refusing to rest players ahead of their Champions League game in Leverkusen.
"We have to win for our own sake tomorrow, but there are other teams involved at the bottom and we have to be fair to everyone. So I have to play my strongest possible side," Ferguson said.
United are already without David Beckham and the latest injury setback means a return to the team for experienced left back Denis Irwin.
Captain Roy Keane will also start in a game United must win to remain in the race for the premier league title.
They are currently in third place, five points behind leaders Arsenal with three games to play.
Blanc is definitely out of Saturday's English premier league trip to Ipswich Town after twisting his right knee in the first leg of the European tie.
His absence is a major headache for United, who are already without experienced defenders Gary Neville and Ronny Johnsen.
"We were going to take him off at halftime (against Bayer), but he wanted to carry on and unfortunately he's suffered for that," United manager Alex Ferguson told the Manchester Evening News.
"Now we will have to try and get him ready for Tuesday if we can."
Despite the defensive problems, Ferguson is refusing to rest players ahead of their Champions League game in Leverkusen.
"We have to win for our own sake tomorrow, but there are other teams involved at the bottom and we have to be fair to everyone. So I have to play my strongest possible side," Ferguson said.
United are already without David Beckham and the latest injury setback means a return to the team for experienced left back Denis Irwin.
Captain Roy Keane will also start in a game United must win to remain in the race for the premier league title.
They are currently in third place, five points behind leaders Arsenal with three games to play.
