Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar will miss Manchester United’s festive fixtures with a groin injury.

Van der Sar, who signed a new 12-month contract on Friday, missed today’s 2-1 win over Everton at Old Trafford.

Tomasz Kuszczak played against the Toffees and could start in United’s next three games against Sunderland, West Ham, and Birmingham City.  Meanwhile, Ferguson said Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves should return for the trip to the Stadium on Light on Boxing Day after missing the win over Everton.

“We hope Rio and Owen will be ready for Wednesday, but Edwin is out for the next two or three games with a groin injury,” Ferguson told MUTV.

Kuszczak has made nine appearances this season including five matches in the Champions League group stages.

Ferguson has hinted he may give his fringe players a chance against the Black Cats, including Park Ji-sung who has been out of action since suffering a knee injury in March.

“We’ll have a different team and I’ll freshen things up a bit with one or two changes,” Ferguson added.

“I’ve got players like [Darren] Fletcher, [John] O’Shea, Nani, [Louis] Saha and Ji-sung Park who is back in the squad now.

“They’re all fit and fresh, so we’ve got a few options. I won’t make a lot of changes, just one or two.”

The Premier League champions, who trail leaders Arsenal by two points, travel to Upton Park on Saturday followed by a home game with Birmingham on New Year’s Day