Solskjær suffers fresh setback

Manchester United FC have announced that Norwegian international striker Ole Gunnar Solskjær is likely to miss the whole of the coming season due to a serious knee injury.

Knee injury
The 31-year-old forward had already been ruled out of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie against FC Dinamo Bucuresti having suffered a recurrence of the knee injury which sidelined him for much of last season. Initially it was predicted he would be out of action for around six weeks, but a statement on the club's official website this afternoon said the damage was much worse than first thought.

Persistent problem
"Ole Gunnar Solskjær underwent an arthroscopy yesterday in Gothenburg," said a club spokesman. "This unfortunately confirmed persistent damage to the articular cartilage of his right knee. He will undergo further treatment but it is likely that Ole will miss the whole of this season."

Operation
Solskjær will undergo a knee operation on 23 August and the surgeon who will operate on him, Dr Lars Petersson, said that he could be sidelined for over a year. Asked if the injury would signal the end of Solskjær's career, he said: "He will have to be patient, but he should be back".

Worries mounting
The injury represents more bad news for United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, whose squad has been decimated for the tie with Dinamo, the first leg of which is played in Romania on Wednesday. Solskjær's fellow strikers Ruud van Nistelrooij and Louis Saha are both out of the game through injury, while Wes Brown, Gabriel Heinze, Liam Miller, Rio Ferdinand, Kléberson and Cristiano Ronaldo are all also absent due to injury, suspension or participation in the Olympic Games.