Rio facing fitness fight

MANCHESTER United have injury worries as they prepare for Saturday’s Premier League match at Everton, writes TONY BUGBY.

Central-defender Rio Ferdinand was forced to pull out of last night’s Champions League victory against Celtic after straining a groin in training.

Sir Alex Ferguson explained that it was decided not to risk Ferdinand with so many important matches looming on the horizon.

Left-back Patrice Evra was also missing after limping out of Saturday’s game against West Brom with a hamstring strain.

United picked up a couple of other knocks last night when two-goal Dimitar Berbatov came off after an hour after taking a painful blow to the hip while Cristiano Ronaldo also retired early after receiving a whack to his knee.


CITY winger Martin Petrov is expected to be out for “three or four months” with a knee injury, manager Mark Hughes has revealed.

Hughes received a boost with the news Micah Richards’ ankle injury is not as bad as first feared – the right–back strained ligaments rather than suffering a break – but Bulgarian Petrov, who sustained the injury on international duty, will be out until February at the earliest.