Saha out of final

"There has been no progress," manager Sir Alex Ferguson said. "He had a scan on Monday and we know the problem now.

"It's a matter of deciding what to do next. We're considering whether or not to operate. We'll make that decision in the next week.

"It started off with a hamstring injury and then he gets a knee injury in training. It can happen, you come back from an injury and you're desperate to do well. You try and compensate sometimes and he has ended up with a knee injury."

The Frenchman - who has started just four starts this year - has struggled with injuries all season long and this latest set-back is sure to further infuriate Ferguson, who is thought to be fast losing patience with his number two attacker.

Saha was at Old Trafford to collect his winners medal on Sunday, but later failed to turn up for the club's end-of-season dinner. A doctor's note claimed his injured knee would not allow him to drive to the event, but his absence has been seen by many as a very public snub.

Ferguson is believed to have become weary of Saha's apparent lack of determination to overcome adversity, and the Scot has openly talked about the striker's reluctance to 'run off' niggling injuries and his refusal to play if not feeling '100%'.

United are thought to be in the market for a more reliable striker over the summer, with Dimitar Berbatov, Samuel Eto'o and Michael Owen all names with whom the Reds have been linked over recent weeks.