Saha picked up a knee injury playing for France against the Faroe Islands which put him out of action for a month. He returned to the first team on 16 October 2004, playing the full 90 minutes of a 0–0 draw against Birmingham City. Saha then scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–0 win against Crystal Palace in the fourth round of the League Cup on 10 November 2004. Shortly after, he picked up an injury again while playing for the national side and costing him nearly two months out. Saha did not next play a full 90 minutes until 12 January 2005, in a 0–0 draw against Chelsea in the first leg of the League Cup semi–finals. Ten days later on 22 January 2005 he scored his second goal of the season, as well as setting up the first goal of the game in a 3–1 win against Aston Villa. However in February, the problem recurred, leaving Saha out for a further two months. At the conclusion of the 2004–05 season, Saha never got going, making only 11 starting appearances, 11 from the bench and scoring two goals. Over the summer Saha suffered another hamstring strain which ruled him out for the first three months of the 2005–06 season. He scored on his first appearance of the season, as well as setting up the third goal of the game, in a 3–1 win against West Bromwich Albion on 30 November 2005. Following his return, Saha eased back into side as a substitute, making appearances in League Cup matches. To the surprise of many, the French striker recaptured his initial good form and started a streak of goalscoring form. Six goals in the League Cup run saw him usurp Van Nistelrooy as the first-choice strike partner for Wayne Rooney. Saha was named a starter over Van Nistelrooy in the final against Wigan Athletic, and scored a goal. Despite suffering from an injury along the way, he scored four more goals later in the 2005–06 season, including a brace against West Bromwich Albion on 18 March 2006. At the end of the 2005–06 season, Saha had made 30 appearances and scored 15 times in all competitions. Saha was chosen by Ferguson to partner alongside Rooney for the next season, after Van Nistelrooy's exit for Real Madrid during the summer transfer window. He began the 2006–07 season by scoring