Manchester United travel to the Mestalla this evening without Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and, as you may have heard, Wayne Rooney.
When it was announced on Monday that Rooney was not going to travel with the squad to Spain, the news inevitably sparked plenty of speculation over there being more to it than the injury he picked up at Bolton on Sunday.
The Daily Mail's Matt Lawton pointed out that, at one stage on Monday, there were stories on the United website claiming that the striker was both staying at home and flying out to Spain with his team-mates, the inference being that not even anyone at the club was sure what was going on, and there must have been some underlying reason for his withdrawal. The reality, however, was probably a far more mundane publishing error.
Now, though, that it has been revealed that Rooney will be out for "two or three weeks", missing the weekend trip to Sunderland and England's next match, hopefully such conjecture can be put to bed.
"He's a strong lad and he's done quite well in recovering from injury in the past," manager Alex Ferguson said. Really? Early Doors could have sworn that it was returning from injury too soon for last season's quarter-final against Bayern Munich sent Rooney's - and by association United's - season on a downward trajectory.
Anyway, with Rooney now out of the picture the focus can be squarely put on United's biggest challenge of the season to date, against a Valencia side sitting atop La Liga. They, along with Real Madrid, are the only Spanish side unbeaten after five matches this season.
The two Davids, Villa and Silva, may have left in the summer, but the likes of Joaquin and Juan Mata, along with new strike duo Artiz Aduriz and Roberto Soldado, have stepped up to the plate, and veteran goalkeeper Cesar Sanchez has been in top form.
Unai Emery's side have not exactly been sweeping aside all before them, but they have been doing more than enough to get the necessary results, something United have struggled with away from home all season.
With the absence of Giggs and Scholes meaning United are missing two of their most senior players - and this season's best performers so far - Ferguson is debating whether or not to start Rio Ferdinand in defence, which will either be encouraging or worrying for United fans, depending on your point of view.
Some may be relieved to see the back of an off-colour Jonny Evans, while others will be concerned at the England captain feeling his way back to fitness in such an important game.
For make no mistake, this is an important game for United. With a trip to Rangers and a double-header against Bursaspor to come in Group C, they will still be odds on to qualify even if they lose at the Mestalla, but this depleted side is in need of a major boost.
They failed to take advantage of their main title rivals losing at the weekend as they were themselves held to a draw, and at times they still look over-reliant on Giggs and Scholes, two men for whom retirement is very much on the horizon.
A victory, or at least a more convincing performance this evening will go a long way to raising the confidence of the squad at just the right time.
When it was announced on Monday that Rooney was not going to travel with the squad to Spain, the news inevitably sparked plenty of speculation over there being more to it than the injury he picked up at Bolton on Sunday.
The Daily Mail's Matt Lawton pointed out that, at one stage on Monday, there were stories on the United website claiming that the striker was both staying at home and flying out to Spain with his team-mates, the inference being that not even anyone at the club was sure what was going on, and there must have been some underlying reason for his withdrawal. The reality, however, was probably a far more mundane publishing error.
Now, though, that it has been revealed that Rooney will be out for "two or three weeks", missing the weekend trip to Sunderland and England's next match, hopefully such conjecture can be put to bed.
"He's a strong lad and he's done quite well in recovering from injury in the past," manager Alex Ferguson said. Really? Early Doors could have sworn that it was returning from injury too soon for last season's quarter-final against Bayern Munich sent Rooney's - and by association United's - season on a downward trajectory.
Anyway, with Rooney now out of the picture the focus can be squarely put on United's biggest challenge of the season to date, against a Valencia side sitting atop La Liga. They, along with Real Madrid, are the only Spanish side unbeaten after five matches this season.
The two Davids, Villa and Silva, may have left in the summer, but the likes of Joaquin and Juan Mata, along with new strike duo Artiz Aduriz and Roberto Soldado, have stepped up to the plate, and veteran goalkeeper Cesar Sanchez has been in top form.
Unai Emery's side have not exactly been sweeping aside all before them, but they have been doing more than enough to get the necessary results, something United have struggled with away from home all season.
With the absence of Giggs and Scholes meaning United are missing two of their most senior players - and this season's best performers so far - Ferguson is debating whether or not to start Rio Ferdinand in defence, which will either be encouraging or worrying for United fans, depending on your point of view.
Some may be relieved to see the back of an off-colour Jonny Evans, while others will be concerned at the England captain feeling his way back to fitness in such an important game.
For make no mistake, this is an important game for United. With a trip to Rangers and a double-header against Bursaspor to come in Group C, they will still be odds on to qualify even if they lose at the Mestalla, but this depleted side is in need of a major boost.
They failed to take advantage of their main title rivals losing at the weekend as they were themselves held to a draw, and at times they still look over-reliant on Giggs and Scholes, two men for whom retirement is very much on the horizon.
A victory, or at least a more convincing performance this evening will go a long way to raising the confidence of the squad at just the right time.
