Former England striker Michael Owen could have a big part to play in Manchester United's start to the season after Javier Hernandez was ruled out for two weeks with mild concussion.
The Mexico striker suffered concussion in a training session on Wednesday before United beat the MLS All-Stars 4-0 in a pre-season match.
"He got concussion in training and we dealt with that," manager Sir Alex Ferguson said. "We took him to hospital, he had a scan, it was all clear. He is back in the hotel. He is in his room and will be out for a couple of weeks.
"He would never have been available for Barcelona anyway because he has just come back from his break after the Gold Cup. He will travel with us though. He is OK for that."
Hernandez is now unlikely to be fit in time for the Community Shield match against Manchester City on August 7, leaving Dimitar Berbatov and Owen to fight it out for a starting berth alongside Wayne Rooney.
Owen signed a one-year extension to his contract to keep him at Old Trafford and said Ferguson had assured him he would have a big part to play this season.
"I was delighted to hear that, for starters, and then obviously to agree to (the contract)," he said. "I've said many times, the only way to go from a club like this is down.
"We do play more games than most teams. We get to the latter stages in a lot of cup competitions so there's a lot of games to go around.
"My first season was fantastic, I played an awful lot of games. Last year was a little bit quieter, everyone seemed to be fit and playing well.
"Obviously the goals that were being scored by everyone else didn't allow you to get that look-in. But I still had some great times and hopefully this year is going to be the same."
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