Photo by tbirdshockeyfan

Manchester United defenders Rio Ferdinand and Rafael da Silva have each suffered injuries over the opening weekend of the Premier League and United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed that center back Nemanja Vidic could also miss games.

The Associated Press reports that da Silva dislocated his shoulder while training for Sunday’s opener against West Bromwich Albion and will miss the first 10 weeks of the season. Ferdinand injured his hamstring during the 2-1 win against West Brom and will be out for six weeks. As for Vidic, Ferguson has given a time table of two weeks for the center back’s return from an injured calf.

Of the three, Vidic looks to be the biggest blow to the defense. United is a pretty deep team in general, with capable defenders in Chirs Smalling. Phil Jones and Patrice Evra looking to step in and fill out the ranks. What this says for Rio Ferdinand though is another story. The oft-injured back has missed many a game over the seasons and one has to wonder what would happen if an emerging player like Smalling, for instance, takes off while Ferdinand is out.

In the match against West Bromwich Albion, Manchester United won 2-1.