Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic has undergone surgery on the knee problem which kept him out of action in the club’s Premier League match against Liverpool at the weekend.

Vidic, who Manchester United stated was merely being rested at the weekend, had an operation on his meniscus which will see him out of action for approximately eight weeks for the Old Trafford side. A statement from Manchester United said

Nemanja Vidic has had a meniscus operation on his right knee and will be out for around eight weeks.

Sir Alex, as a precautionary measure, rested Vidic at the weekend, after he complained of tightness in his knee. However, further medical investigation revealed the underlying problem.

The menisci in the knee are cartilage tissue that help to absorb shock to protect the knee joint from damage and most problems in this area are caused by tears.  The most common way that a meniscus can be torn is by twisting the knee forcefully which results in swelling, pain and knee lock.  While some tears can heal by themselves, operations which trim, fix or even remove the meniscus are often advised.

Twisting the knee while the foot is on the ground is one of the main ways this injury occurs. Unfortunately, once the meniscal cartilage is torn it does not heal very well due to the poor blood supply it receives.  The centre of the meniscus has no direct blood supply meaning that larger tears, or tears which occur in the middle tend not to heal hence the need for surgery.