Van Persie ruled out of Bayern tie

Manchester United FC's hopes of successfully negotiating their UEFA Champions League quarter-final against holders FC Bayern München have suffered a serious blow with the news Robin van Persie is out with a knee sprain.

The Netherlands forward, whose hat-trick on Wednesday helped United to a 3-2 aggregate success over Olympiacos FC in the round of 16, has been sidelined for between four and six weeks after scans revealed a sprained left knee.

Manager David Moyes had initially believed the injury, picked up after a collision in the dying moments of the second leg against the Greek champions, would not lead to a long lay-off, describing it as "not serious".

However, after a first scan proved inconclusive, a second scan earlier today showed the full scale of the damage. It means the 30-year-old will certainly miss the tie with Bayern, the first leg of which takes place on 1 April, and will be doubtful for any semi-final opener on 22/23 April should the Red Devils progress.