Champions League

Manchester United have been dealt a serious defensive blow with the news that captain Nemanja Vidic is to miss the next eight weeks of action.

By Declan Whooley

The Serbian defender missed the victory over Liverpool with a sore knee and the club have confirmed today that he has undergone surgery.

“Nemanja Vidic has had a meniscus operation on his right knee and will be out for around eight weeks," a club statement said.

The defender missed five months of last season after rupturing his cruciate ligament against Basel last December and is set to miss some important fixtures between now and his expected recovery date.

The imposing defender is set to miss Premier League matches against Chelsea and Arsenal, while he is also ruled out of the Red Devils next three games in the Champions League. United face three away games on the trot with trips to Cluj, Braga and Galatasaray in that period.

All going according to plan he will miss in the region of 14 games, but the central defender is not known as a quick healer and given that it is the same knee that he injured last year, there would be concern about the return date.

With Phil Jones out for roughly the same period and Chris Smalling yet to resume training, Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans are currently the only fit, first choice defenders, with the Northern Ireland international also picking up a slight knock at Anfield.

That new state-of-the-art training centre cannot come soon enough for Fergie.