Manchester United's England midfielder Paul Scholes will not require surgery on his knee injury.

Scholes was flown home from his club's 10-day tour of Scandinavia and Holland on Sunday after he was injured in a clash with Ajax defender Cristian Chivu in the Amsterdam ArenA on Friday.

There had been fears he may need an exploratory operation - but following a scan those have now been allayed.

The 27-year-old will remain in Manchester over the next few days to step up his pre-season training.

But it is unlikely he will figure in Saturday's Old Trafford friendly with Boca Juniors - and, because of a consequent lack of match fitness, he will probably also miss the first leg of United's Champions League qualifier against either NK Zagreb or Zalaegerszek of Hungary.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson is, however, set to include Scholes in his squad for the opening Barclaycard Premiership game against West Brom on August 17.

The news will be greeted with relief by Ferguson, who had faced the prospect of entering the Champions League with a stretched squad.

Strikers Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ruud van Nistelrooy and French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez also picked up knocks last weekend.

But that trio are all set to figure either in the friendly with Aarhus or Saturday's encounter with the Argentinians.