Ferdinand out for another 6 weeks

LONDON (AP):

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand faces another six weeks on the sidelines and will miss the start of the Premier League season.

Ferdinand injured his knee on June 4 while in a World Cup training camp with England. United had hoped he would be available for the club's opening match of the season against Newcastle on August 16 at Old Trafford, but United manager Alex Ferguson says Ferdinand is "probably around six weeks away from playing".

That would see Ferdinand miss matches against Newcastle, Fulham and West Ham, and jeopardise his chances of playing in England's opening Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland in early September.