Chris Smalling has impressed in a Man Utd shirt since signing from Fulham in 2012
Manchester United have been hit by an injury blow to their defender Chris Smalling less than a month before the start of the 2012/13 Barclays Premier League season.
Smalling, 22, suffered a foot injury in training on Wednesday and has had to undergo an operation.
"It's difficult to say with a metatarsal but it could be 10 weeks"
- Sir Alex Ferguson
Man Utd manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed the versatile former Fulham defender could now be out of action until October.
"He got an injury on the Wednesday and, straight away, we decided to have the operation so he's out," Ferguson is quoted as saying on the official Man Utd website.
"It's difficult to say with a metatarsal but it could be 10 weeks.
"He's not carrying any luck, the kid, but he's young and we've done the right thing in getting it done immediately and getting him back on the road as quickly as we can."
Smalling was just on his way back after a groin injury he suffered in May kept him out of the England squad for Euro 2012 during the summer and also kept him out of the Great Britain Olympic squad.
He played in 19 Barclays Premier League matches for Man Utd last season, scoring in the 3-1 win over Chelsea at Old Trafford.
Ferguson's men did receive a boost this week when it was revealed Nemanja Vidic would be fit for the start of the new campaign.
