Manchester United’s Nemanja Matic has had surgery and will miss the start of the season.
Unied have confirmed on their official website that the midfielder picked up an injury during World Cup duty with Serbia but are unsure how long he will be sidelined for.
The 29-year-old senior player joins the club list of injured first-team stars, with manager Jose Mourinho suffering multiple setbacks from his squad due to their World Cup commitments.
“Matic arrived from the World Cup, holiday, direct to surgery because something happened in the World Cup,” said Mourinho on United’s club website.
“He has had surgery. He is out for the start of the season. He came from the World Cup with the injury and the time he had to rest on holiday was not enough to resolve the problem.”
“I don’t know how long he will be out for.”
The Daily Mirror claimed that Matic took part in an individual training session on Tuesday after linking up with the squad this week due to his involvement in Russia this summer.
OPINION
Nemanja Matic was a key figure for Manchester United last season, with the Red Devils winning24 of the 36 league matches the Serbian featured in. There is no doubt that Matic will be a big miss for the early stages of their Premier League campaign and this will frustrate Mourinho, who has lost another important figure for his team and cannot afford to have limited options. Matic has played over 30 league matches per season for the last four years and played a strong role in central midfield for United last season, achieving a tackling success rate of 60 percent and remaining well disciplined with no red cards. He may not be as successful when it comes to scoring goals but United fans will know that his presence in the starting line-up gives confidence to the supporters due to his vast experience in the top flight, winning two league titles with Chelsea.