Giggs ruled out for a month

Giggs was once the playboy at United (GETTY IMAGES)

Ryan Giggs will be out of action for four weeks after fracturing his right arm in Manchester United's Barclays Premier League game at Aston Villa last night.

The veteran Welshman suffered the injury in a collision with Steve Sidwell during the second half of the 1-1 draw and left Villa Park with his arm in a sling.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson revealed the 36-year-old had been sent for an x-ray and hoped the news would be good.

Instead, the Old Trafford outfit have confirmed Giggs will be sidelined for a period that includes both legs of the Champions League last-16 clash with AC Milan plus the Carling Cup final with Villa at Wembley on February 28.

Apart from those high-profile fixtures, Giggs will also miss Premier League games against Everton, West Ham and Wolves.

It is a huge blow to Ferguson, given Giggs' vast experience that includes 11 title-winning campaigns.

Arguably the winger has been performing to a more consistent level than ever before and has been rewarded for his longevity with a growing number of individual awards, including the BBC sports personality of the year.

The injury casts a dark cloud over what had been a fine performance from United.

The one casualty was Portugal wide man, Nani, who was red-carded for a foul on Stiliyan Petrov that forced his team to play the final hour with only 10 men and also means the player will miss the Carling Cup final as part of a three-match suspension.