Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed Wayne Rooney will miss Manchester United's Europa League clash with Ajax after picking up a throat infection.

Rooney developed the problem following last week's first leg in Amsterdam and, although he reported for training on Wednesday, he was quickly sent home in the hope he will recover in time for Sunday's Barclays Premier League trip to Norwich.

"Wayne is out,'' said Ferguson. "He has a really bad throat.

"There were traces of it in Amsterdam and we gave him some medication but it got worse.

"He has been in bed over the weekend and came in today for the first time and we are trying hard to get him right for Sunday.''

As United are 2-0 up from the away leg and appear certain to book a last-16 encounter with either Lokomotiv Moscow or Athletic Bilbao, Rooney might not have played anyway given the number of players Ferguson feels must be involved after their recent lack of game time.

Young French midfielder Paul Pogba may also come into contention, although it seems more likely the 18-year-old, whose contractual position remains unresolved, will be on the bench.

"It is possible we could give Pogba a run-out,'' said Ferguson.

"It depends because there are a lot of players who need a game; Nani, Young, Hernandez, Cleverley, Smalling, Jones.

"Those players will all play and we hope to put a sprinkling of experience amongst it.''

Ajax coach Frank de Boer has challenged his players to follow Basle's lead and knock United out of Europe.

The Dutch side would have to pull off an upset to progress, but they can look to the example of Basle who came back from 2-0 down at half-time to take a 3-2 lead in Manchester.

In terms of shocks at home in Europe this season, though, Sir Alex Ferguson's men have already suffered one, with Basle managing to come back from 2-0 down at half-time to take a 3-2 lead in Manchester.

Only a goal at the death from Ashley Young salvaged a 3-3 draw for United from the Champions League group game and they eventually crashed out of the competition after a 2-1 loss to the same opposition in Switzerland.

De Boer knows his side will have a major task to turn the tie around, but said: "Basle managed to draw with United and we are trying to do something similar here as them - get a result.

"We are not here just to see the scenery and we will see after the game what the result is.

"It was a difficult first game when we lost at home. We will try to make life difficult for United - overall, it is a great opportunity for our players to play this game.

"There were some positives from the match in Holland and we want to repeat those things here.''

Match

Victory over Ajax will end United's Saturday kick-offs. Some will argue the day does not matter but the atmosphere on Saturdays, especially lunch time kick off is unique as it is electrifying.

United to win

^^^ seconded

Man U to win

Goalllll

baba o! park to berba to hernandez.see how chicharito subtract dt defender!

Y'all kno ow it's gonna pan out, no two ways abot it, GGMU.

gooal ajax 1 all

Lol see people beafing themselves for viewing centre

This Man Utd midfield is too porous for comfort. SAF please bring in Paul Scholes for Park Ji Sung and Giggs for Ashley Young

Nemerem44:

This Man Utd midfield is too porous for comfort. SAF please bring in Paul Scholes for Park Ji Sung and Giggs for Ashley Young

Exactly, what the heck has NANI been doing for crying out loud

2-1 , 4 mins remain

1-2 it end , united to the next stage

Ferguson is killing us

Nt an impressive game frm United at all.

@chidyke77

Seriously o. Too poor

This match has really revealed how underrated Carrick is in the United team; always holding up the mid-field and providing necessary cover for the back four - which maintains balance in the team. The Da Silva twins, especially Rafael, are just crass in defense - making silly decisions and mistakes on the ball thereby putting the defense/team under pressure. As for Berbatov, he might have one of the best/close ball control touches in the EPL but walking around the pitch and dribbling himself to nowhere doesn't help the team as well.

I think SAF has really mellowed as a manager - almost to the detriment of the team; It's about time he picked up the hair dryer treatment where he left off cuz these lads need to buck up

mojounited:

This match has really revealed how underrated Carrick is in the United team; always holding up the mid-field and providing necessary cover for the back four - which maintains balance in the team. The Da Silva twins, especially Rafael, are just crass in defense - making silly decisions and mistakes on the ball thereby putting the defense/team under pressure. As for Berbatov, he might have one of the best/close ball control touches in the EPL but walking around the pitch and dribbling himself to nowhere doesn't help the team as well.

I think SAF has really mellowed as a manager - almost to the detriment of the team; It's about time he picked up the hair dryer treatment where he left off cuz these lads need to buck up  

Very true!

Sad one for ManU fans

We played badly though but we are into the next round and that is what matters. As for Raphael and his brother, I think it is about time they changed their puerile style of play. As for Berbatov, this isn't the La liga where u move about in a lackadaisical manner; I respect u though. As for Sir Alex Ferguson, silence is golden. Up Manchester United!

Great play MU, but they should perform better than this.
I hope MU will increase their performance to grab champion title

I didn't watch the match, was it 2-1 or 1-2?

I have seen the result else where. Ajax beat Man U at Old Tradford. This is dissappointing, because if Ajax had scored one more goal, Man United would have gone out. Who are those players that could not represent us in the absence of the big guys?

Andy Hunter at Old Trafford

The Guardian, Thu 23 Feb 2012 22.21 GMT

The Europa League represents a new frontier for Manchester United but they have brought old failings with them. An inability to protect a lead and complacency at Old Trafford contributed to their demise in the Champions League. Both made an untimely reappearance as Sir Alex Ferguson's team advanced in defeat and with nerves frayed against Ajax.

United's performance against Frank de Boer's ultimately vibrant side was everything Ferguson had cautioned against before kick-off and Toby Alderweireld's 87th-minute goal raised the spectre of a second early European exit of the season. Not that warnings should have been necessary following the costly Champions League draws at home to Benfica and Basel in the group phase. Phil Jones, one of four members of Stuart Pearce's England squad for Wednesday's Holland friendly to start the game under the watchful eye of the caretaker manager and Harry Redknapp, admitted that "a little bit of complacency crept in and it cost us".

Unlike in the aftermath of Basel and Benfica, however, Ferguson absolved his players of blame for another home performance that exposed the squad's European inexperience. He took full responsibility for a team selection that almost backfired embarrassingly. "It was nervy," the United manager said. "I've got to accept the responsibility tonight myself – playing so many young players in the back four position was a big ask. It was a good opportunity to give Jones and [Chris] Smalling a game. But their lack of experience at pushing up and tightening up a game showed. For a European game it was too much of a risk. We survived it with a bit of luck."

Ajax lacked conviction in Amsterdam last week yet Ferguson had claimed that United could not consider the job done, even with a two-goal cushion and a clean sheet from the first leg. He gambled, however, on fielding a team with an average age of 24 and a defence with an average age of 21.

United set about ending the contest with haste and Nani had tested the goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer before Javier Hernández extended their aggregate lead to three. Jan Vertonghen, the Ajax captain and centre-half, cost his team with a careless pass that United's captain for the night, Park Ji-sung, intercepted in midfield. The ball broke for Dimitar Berbatov, who swept a fine pass into Hernández, and the Mexico international stepped inside Alderweireld to confirm his returning confidence with a fourth goal in his past four appearances. An Ajax support strong in number and in song was silenced. They won few friends with chants for Luis Suárez, the club's former striker.

United had opportunities to stretch their lead but Rafael da Silva was fortunate his booking for a lunge on Nicolás Lodeiro was not his second of the night after a ludicrous dive inside the Ajax area went unpunished. Once the visitors had settled, however, it was Rafael's twin brother, Fábio, who had the greater problems as Aras Ozbiliz flourished on the right wing and Siem de Jong took the game to United from central midfield.

"I had a feeling we could get a great result before the game," said De Boer. "But we were insecure in our passing in the first half, even with simple passes like the first goal, and even at 3-0 [in the tie] I felt we could threaten United if we performed as we are capable of doing. I am disappointed. The team could have done much more."

The impressive Ozbiliz brought Ajax level with an emphatic finish into the bottom corner of David de Gea's goal from 20 yards, albeit after Lodeiro had escaped with a handball in the buildup. Ajax dominated possession from the half hour onwards and it was not until the introduction of Paul Scholes, Jonny Evans and Danny Welbeck that United displayed the strength and composure in midfield, plus the pace in attack, to regain a modicum of control.

But they were far from home comfortably. Nani struck the bar on the counterattack and De Gea produced a fine reflex save from De Jong's near-post header as Ajax mounted late pressure. It finally told when the central defender Alderweireld powered home a header from Ozbiliz's free-kick at the back post. "The next game is at home against [Athletic] Bilbao and you will see the experienced players back for that," said Ferguson.

WTH happened?why did we loose to Ajax.Whose fault?

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it was a narrow escape for us (United)

why all the English club are playing so badly in Euro?