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Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand fail to travel with Manchester United to Marseille

Ryan Giggs is not fit for the match at Marseille  (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images for Reebok)
Ryan Giggs is not fit for the match at Marseille (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images for Reebok)
Getty Images for Reebok

Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs and defender Rio Ferdinand are among those that failed to travel to Marseille, ahead of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League clash at Stade Velodrome. Ferdinand had already been questionable to play due to a calf injury suffered in warm-ups on February 5th, prior to a match versus Wolverhampton. His expected deputy will be Chris Smalling, who has filled in adequately this season when called upon. However, the news that Giggs didn't make the trip to France comes as a surprise, as there hasn't been any indication of injury for the 37 year-old legend. This is a big blow to the club, as recent injuries to Anderson, Park Ji-Sung, Jonny Evans and Michael Owen have taken its toll to the depth of United. The Welshman and Brazilian were likely candidates to start at Marseille. The da Silva twins, Rafael and Fabio, have both traveled with the club to France, despite receiving knocks in Saturday's FA Cup match with Crawley Town. The plethora of injuries has required the club to call upon youngsters Joshua King and Ryan Tunnicliffe, as both boarded the plane to France. Be sure to check out our match preview for the clash versus Marseille, and it will continually be updated as news comes in.

*UPDATE*: According to the club website, Giggs is "okay for Saturday" at Wigan. No further word yet if Giggs is injured, or if this is just an attempt to rest the 37 year-old Welshman.

* Manchester United squad for Marseille: van der Sar, Lindegaard, Kuszczak, Vidic, O'Shea, Brown, Rafael, Fabio, Evra, Smalling, Scholes, Gibson, Nani, Carrick, Fletcher, Bebe, Obertan, Rooney, Berbatov, Hernandez, Tunnicliffe, King.