Manchester United fear Rio Ferdinand calf injury stems from back problem

Ferdinand, 31 on Saturday, has missed United's last two games after succumbing to a long-standing calf problem and he is also set to miss the England friendly against Brazil in Doha next week. The United defender has been plagued by injury since suffering a back strain during United's trip to Japan for the Club World Cup last December.  Related ArticlesFerguson: no rift between Kuszczak and Van der SarChelsea v Manchester United: match previewDeco: Didier Drogba better than Wayne RooneyDebate: Drogba v RooneyAnd with United team-mate Wes Brown revealing earlier this week that Ferdinand's back has been a cause for concern for 'a very long time,' Ferguson admits that the club are now aiming to pinpoint whether the current calf problem is a side-effect of his back injury. Ferguson said: 'We don't know exactly where the calf injury is coming from in terms of whether it is from the lower back or whether it is a nerve thing. 'Calf injuries usually clear up within 2-3 weeks, but there is no sign of Rio recovering from the injury. 'We are looking at the whole situation as to whether it is coming from the back or not. 'In the meantime, he's out. There is no improvement, so we are now looking at something different.'

Source: Telegraph