Manchester United have revealed that captain Nemanja Vidic is set to be out of action for a month after limping off in the 2-1 opening day win over West Bromwich Albion.
The Serbia international suffered a calf injury at The Hawthorns but although he was only initially only thought to be missing for a fortnight, further tests have shown that the injury will take longer to heal. It means that Vidic is likely to miss the key match against Arsenal at the end of this month and is touch and go for being fit for the visit of Chelsea on 18th September.
However, there was better news regarding Rio Ferdinand. The classy England defender has bene plagued by injury problems in recent years, losing the captaincy of both his club and country as a result, and it was feared that he could be set for a significant spell on the sidelines after he was also withdrawn against the Baggies. But his manager expects him back on the pitch sooner rather than later.
“Rio is not as bad as we thought and he could be ready for our game with Arsenal,” said SIr Alex Ferguson. “I don’t think he’ll be ready for Monday, but it’s amazing how assessments can change in the space of a few days.”
Even so, Ferguson will be concerned at having so many absentees as his team embark on a period containing several big fixtures starting on Monday against Tottenham. Rafael Da Silva has been ruled out for 10 weeks with a dislocated shoulder while Darren Fletcher is still recovering from a debilitating virus and Javier Hernandez has been suffering from concussion. However, Patrice Evra has shaken off his knee injury and should be available for selection for Monday night’s game.
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