Rio Ferdinand out till end of September
Manchester United’s ace centre back Rio Ferdinand is expected back in action by the end of September, according to the team manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Ferdinand was named the England Captain following the personal life problems of John Terry but he did not get the opportunity to lead his team in the World Cup. He suffered a ligament injury on 4th of June and had to miss out on the World Cup.
Rio has already missed the first game of the new season for United. Now he is expected to be out for the next 4 matches in the league as well. On 26th September United take on Bolton Wanderers and Ferdinand is expected to be back for that match.
The England captain will also miss out on international matches against Bulgaria and Switzerland that are part of England’s qualifying campaign for Euro 2012.
After the World Cup it was expected that he would be back for his club just in time for the start of new season, however his recovery was prolonged and his comeback has been pushed by more than a month.
Sir Alex Ferguson, in late July, said that Ferdinand is recovering well and may be back in the match against Everton that is on 12th September.
Steve McNally, the team doctor for Manchester United said that Rio is on track and he is very close to full fitness.
Ferguson said that it was a medial ligament issue and not a cruciate one. So the recovery time is a bit different and he is doing as expected.
He said that the injury was not a normal one; he added that normally these injuries are related to the player’s back. However, the medical team after proper test analysed it and are working on it accordingly. Ferguson said that he is not willing to bring back Rio undercooked as he is one of the most important players in his team and he will not like to risk him at this stage.
The unfortunate injury first surfaced in South Africa; In a practice session with the national team, while trying to tackle his team mate Emile Heskey he tore his ligaments. At first the England medical team did not believe that the injury was the serious and hoped that he would recover in time for the World Cup. However tests and scans later revealed that it was a much serious problem and he was eventually sent home before the start of World Cup.
The injury ahead of the World Cup was a big blow for the 31 year old. He had been plagued by a back problem in the previous season. He only started 13 games for the club and in total played just 21 matches the whole season for Manchester United.
England manager Fabio Capello has also said that not having Ferdinand in the team is a big blow, he added even in the World Cup he was sorely missed by the team. Capello said that Rio is a man who has the ability to rally the team and inspires players around him. The Italian added that these were the qualities that prompted him to name him the captain.
Ferdinand is definitely out of the next 2 games for England that are on 3rd and 7th of September but Capello expects him back for the home game against Montenegro at Wembley on 12th of October.
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