Rio Ferdinand Injury: Updates on Man United Star's Groin, Likely Return Date

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Rio Ferdinand hopes to make a swift recovery from injury after missing Manchester United’s last two games with a groin strain.

David Moyes confirmed the initial problem ahead of United’s recent Champions League trip to Shakhtar Donetsk—a game Ferdinand missed.

"Rio has a slight groin problem," Moyes told reporters, per Shane Farrington of Goal.com. "It is nothing serious but I was never bringing him anyway."


Ferdinand also missed United’s next outing, a league trip to Sunderland, which they won 2-1 thanks to Adnan Januzaj’s brace.

No timeline was placed on the central defender’s potential return, but Jeremy Cross of the Daily Star reports Ferdinand is expecting to be fit for United’s next league game against Southampton:

Ferdinand has been sidelined with a groin problem for United’s last two games. But the former England defender has been undergoing intensive treatment during the international break from United’s medical staff.

Now he is confident of a week tomorrow.

Ferdinand arguably needed the break in his season after an uneasy start to the campaign, which saw him underperform in defeats to Manchester City and West Brom.

The former England defender was part of a back four that was pulled to pieces by City at the Etihad, but it was the West Brom game that truly rang alarm bells.

Morgan Amalfitano embarrassed Ferdinand as he raced past the veteran to score the Baggies’ first, and then Ferdinand failed to react quickly enough to stop Saido Berahino’s winner.

In his absence, David Moyes has experimented with United’s defence. He partnered Chris Smalling with Nemanja Vidic against Donetsk, before turning to Phil Jones for the recent win at Sunderland.

United welcome Southampton to Old Trafford on Oct. 19, giving Ferdinand plenty of recovery time during the midseason international break.

The Southampton fixture sparks a run of three straight home games in all competitions for Moyes’ men, who then face Real Sociedad in the Champions League before Stoke travel to Old Trafford at the end of the month.