French club Lyon are suddenly in the frame, and that would suit Sir Alex Ferguson down to the ground and solve all of his problems.
Lyon have to come to terms with the loss of captain Cris for six months. The Brazilian centre-back was carried off on a stretcher during Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Toulouse after a clash with Les Violets striker Johan Elmander.
An MRI scan on Monday confirmed the defender has ruptured two ligaments in his right knee, and he has been ruled out until well into the new year.
Heinze looks to be Lyon coach Alain Perrin's ideal choice.
"He has the profile," the former Sochaux boss said of the Argentina international, who can play at left-back or centre-half.
"It is necessary to know if the player, who has spent a large part of his career at left-back, really wants to play regularly at centre-back."
Heinze is currently involved in a dispute with United, who are refusing to allow the player to move to arch-rivals Liverpool.