Ferdinand set for four-week absence

Manchester United FC manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that Rio Ferdinand's thigh injury is worse than first thought, with the centre-back facing a month on the sidelines.

Vidić lift
The England international was originally expected to be out for a couple of weeks after suffering a slight tear to his thigh muscle during training last week. However, according to Ferguson "Rio is going to be out for three to four weeks", meaning he faces a race against time to be fit for the start of United's UEFA Champions League group-stage campaign in mid-September. Jonny Evans has also been struggling with an ankle problem, meaning Wes Brown and John O'Shea were United's centre-back pairing in Wednesday's 1-0 defeat at Burnley FC, but there is some good news as Ferguson confirmed Nemanja Vidić is poised to make his first start of the season after shaking off a calf injury.