Ruud van Nistelrooy will miss Manchester United's trip to Charlton on Sunday after failing to recover from the ankle injury he suffered in training last week.
Paul Scholes returns for the Barclays Premiership match after a one-match suspension but Gary Neville is still out as he serves the second of a three-game ban following his dismissal at Everton.
Argentinian defender Gabriel Heinze is out with ankle ligament damage and faces a race against time to be fit for the FA Cup final against Arsenal on May 21.
Ruud van Nistelrooy's first goals since November helped to fire Manchester United to an FA Cup final showdown with Arsenal as sorry Newcastle's season ebbed away.
The Dutchman struck on 19 and 58 minutes, either side of Paul Scholes' first-half header, although the Magpies gave themselves a glimmer of hope when Shola Ameobi pulled one back after 59 minutes.
However, United were utterly dominant and tore their opponents to shreds as the game opened up, Cristiano Ronaldo firing home a fourth with 14 minutes remaining to secure a 4-1 victory.
Graeme Souness' mounting problems at St James' Park should not take too much away from United though, whose passing was as slick throughout. From the first whistle, they exploited gaping holes in the Newcastle defence, with Roy Keane biting into challenges and Cristiano Ronaldo at his beguiling best.
Like Ronaldo, van Nistelrooy had served notice he was up for the contest, scrapping for possession, muscling his way round Steven Taylor and Jean-Alain Boumsong and generally causing a major nuisance of himself.
All the big Dutchman needed was a goal. And, to Sir Alex Ferguson's obvious glee, after eight long games and 19 minutes, the longest drought of a 124-goal United career came to an end.
Van Nistelrooy did need a bit of good fortune as Boumsong slipped attempting to reach Ronaldo's low ball. But after that, it was typical precision, deftly steering the ball beyond Shay Given in a manner United fans have become so accustomed to.
It was the red shirts who were dominant and when Paul Scholes, match-winner in last year's semi against Arsenal, rose to meet Ronaldo's powerful near post cross and flash a header into the far corner, it was no more than the holders deserved.
The renewed conviction coursing through Newcastle veins at the start of the second half was quickly quelled when Wayne Rooney led a counter-attack which ended with Scholes presenting van Nistelrooy with an opportunity to tap his 14th of the season into an empty net.
Shola Ameobi pulled one back almost immediately but it was United who looked more like adding to their lead than the Magpies decreasing it. And the Red Devils finally grabbed a fourth, Van Nistelrooy teeing up Ronaldo for the simplest of finishes.
SIR Alex Ferguson has defended his decision to rush Ruud van Nistelrooy back into action.
In six games since his return from a long-standing Achilles injury, the prolific Dutchman has looked a pale imitation of the striker who terrorised defences at home and abroad during his previous three seasons with Manchester United.
Not only has van Nistelrooy failed to find the net - the longest barren spell of his Red Devils career - he has barely had a chance and was so out of touch in last weekend's goalless draw with Blackburn he was eventually replaced by Alan Smith.
Ferguson accepts the striker's form crisis may be a legacy of pressing him back into service ahead of schedule. But given the match in question was the Champions League clash with AC Milan, the long-serving Scot still thinks he chose the right option.
"It was worth taking a risk at the time," he said.
"Ruud is one of the best goalscorers in the business, probably the most clinical finisher we have had and his record in European football meant we expected him to deliver in the AC Milan game. I accept it was too early. He was probably two weeks away from a comeback but there was no other option.
"He will be fine. You can never imagine Ruud having a long-term blip but he is no different to any other striker in that they only feel better and get their confidence back when they score."
Whether van Nistelrooy will keep his starting slot at Norwich today is open to debate.
Both Alan Smith and Louis Saha got reserve-team outings under their belt in midweek and Ferguson might be tempted to give the duo a game at Carrow Road, partly to gain some much-needed match-sharpness ahead of next weekend's FA Cup semi-final with Newcastle.
Netherlands striker Ruud van Nistelrooy breathed a sigh of relief after scoring his first goal on Wednesday following a long injury layoff.
The Manchester United forward netted the second goal in a 2-0 World Cup qualifier win over Armenia that kept the Netherlands top of Group One and on course for next year's finals in Germany.
Van Nistelrooy picked up a pass from Mark van Bommel before rounding keeper Roman Berezovsky to score from a tight angle on 34 minutes in Eindhoven.
"It was great to score again. I picked up a beautiful pass from Mark [van Bommel] and scored," said Van Nistelrooy.
"It was my first goal since my injury and I gave me a great feeling. I was looking for my goal for a while."
An Achilles problem kept the striker sidelined for three months before he returned to action in February. His last goal came for United in a 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion on November 27.
Despite the victory over Armenia, Van Nistelrooy said the Netherlands were not satisfied with their performance.
"One of our objectives was winning but we also wanted to dominate the match and that didn't work out," he said.
"We were just not steady enough in possession of the ball."
Ruud to Face Baggies
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