Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping Rio Ferdinand has not suffered a serious injury after the United defender was forced off in the second half at Middlesbrough.

With Nemanja Vidic already on the sidelines and crunch games coming thick and fast, it was worrying to see Ferdinand limping off with 20 minutes left at the Riverside Stadium.

The United manager told MUTV after the game: ”We got a few bumps and bruises, but we'll assess things on Monday.

“Hopefully Rio's injury is not serious. He was limping for quite a while and the danger with carrying on with him was we weren't going to get a full performance level from him.”

Gerard Pique replaced Ferdinand and five minutes later Wayne Rooney salvaged a 2-2 draw which leaves United three points clear of Chelsea at the top with five games left.

Ferguson added: “Pique came on and did brilliantly. He was marvellous. The lad's a terrific player and I think that actually helped us.”