Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson has received a double dose of good news on the injury front with Ryan Giggs and Ruud van Nistelrooy both set to return ahead of schedule.
Giggs should return for United's Premiership encounter with Aston Villa on January 22. Van Nistelrooy, meanwhile, is expected to recover from his achilles problem before the Red Devils' Champions League clash with AC Milan at the end of next month.
The prolific Dutch striker remains United's top scorer this season even though he has missed the last nine game with an injury that started in his calf and United physios were unable to prevent moving to his achilles.
"Ruud's injury has not got any worse," confirmed Ferguson. "We still expect him to be fit for the AC Milan game."
A tried and trusted rehabilitation programme should allow Giggs to return within a fortnight after the in-form winger limped out of Tuesday's goalless draw with Tottenham.
While it seems unlikely the 31-year-old will be part of the side that faces arch rivals Liverpool at Anfield next weekend, that could be the only match he misses given he was unlikely to be involved against Exeter or Chelsea in the Carling Cup on Wednesday.
"I read Ryan was going to be out for six weeks," scoffed Ferguson. "No-one from Old Trafford predicted that kind of thing.
"We know the situation with Ryan. He gets these things from time to time but we have handled it really well over the past couple of years.
"The period and effectiveness of his recovery is much better now and we estimate he will be back in two weeks."
