Ferdinand out due to thigh injury

Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand will be out for up to four weeks with a torn thigh muscle, manager Alex Ferguson said on Friday.

Ferdinand sustained the injury in Wednesday's 2-0 Champions League victory over Bayer Leverkusen, missing the last few minutes of the match at Old Trafford.

Ferguson told reporters that a scan on Thursday revealed the damage which will rule Ferdinand out of some of United's biggest games of the season.

The centre-back will miss matches against West Ham United, Newcastle United and Liverpool and possibly the home game against Arsenal on December 7.

He will also be unavailable for the League Cup trip to Burnley on December 3 and United's first game in the second phase of the Champions League in the last week of November.