Manchester United have suffered a huge blow in their bid for the title after Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed captain Nemanja Vidic will miss the rest of the season. Speaking on Friday morning, Ferguson revealed the centre-back will not return until next season after damaging his knee in Wednesday's Champions League defeat against Basle.
Ferguson said: 'We thought it was a bad one. He’s out for the season. It’s not unexpected but it’s still bad news.'
Ferguson admitted he feared the worst when Vidic first went down following a tangle of legs with Marco Streller.
He hoped it was just medial ligament damage and his captain would only be missing for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, the worst case has now unfolded.
'I thought it was a bad one when I saw it,' said Ferguson.
'He sees the specialist on Monday to map out the progress of when he has the operation. It won't be immediate because we have to let the swelling come down. It is a bit of a blow.'
The news is a major setback for the club as they attempt to catch rivals City in the race for the Barclays Premier League title - and it comes hot on the heels of their humiliating exit from the Champions League.
The loss of Vidic is likely to force Ferguson into the January transfer market.
He currently has Rio Ferdinand, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Jonny Evans available.
However, doubts remain over Ferdinand's ability to withstand a full season at the top level, while Jones has been favoured in central midfield since impressing after his £16.5million switch from Blackburn in the summer.
United suffered another blow on Thursday when it emerged that England winger Ashley Young may have aggravated his broken toe against Basle.
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