Fellaini to miss Liverpool clash after Belgium confirm MCL injury

Joe Wright

Fellaini to miss Liverpool clash after Belgium confirm MCL injury image

Manchester United's Marouane Fellaini will miss Saturday's Premier League clash with Liverpool after suffering a knee ligament sprain.

The midfielder was forced off after 29 minutes of his side's 4-3 World Cup qualifying win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday.

Man Utd 12/1 to beat Liverpol 2-0

Head coach Roberto Martinez admitted it was likely he had damaged a ligament and there had been concerns he had suffered a tear.

However, tests have revealed he has only sprained the medial collateral ligament of his left knee and is likely only to be out of action for "a couple of weeks", with Belgium confirming the news via their official Twitter account.

It is a blow nonetheless for United, who must take on fierce rivals Liverpool in the next Premier League match without either Fellaini or Paul Pogba in central midfield.

He could also miss the visit to Benfica in the Champions League as well as United's trip to Huddersfield Town that follows on 21 October.

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He is likely to be replaced by last season's Player of the Year, Ander Herrera, while club captain Michael Carrick could also come into contention for a start.

Fellaini has scored four goals in all competitions for the club in a resurgent run of form this season, prompting speculation he will be offered a two-year extension to his contract, which expires in 2018.

Joe Wright

Joe Wright Photo

Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has reported live on some of the biggest games in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup final at the end of a month in Russia.