Rio Ferdinand has seen a specialist about his back issues and been placed on a new course of treatment to try to spare the Manchester United and England defender a significant lay-off.
Ferdinand, whose erratic form this season has been influenced by having to play in discomfort and sometimes considerable pain, has had an injection in the same way that Darren Fletcher is hoping to "get through the season" with a course of pain-killing jabs to help him with a long-standing ankle injury that will eventually need surgery.
The medical staff at Old Trafford decided that Ferdinand should see a specialist because of their concerns that a calf injury might be related to his back problems and that, in the words of Sir Alex Ferguson, there has been "no sign of him recovering".
The latest treatment, however, is regarded as "non-guarantee" and Ferdinand will be monitored closely to see how his body reacts before it is decided when he can resume full training. He has been warned it may be several weeks before he is able to return to the team, or potentially longer if there is no improvement, and there are serious concerns about the length of time it is taking to diagnose exactly what is troubling him.
Ferdinand, 31 last weekend, has played in only 24 of the last 50 games for United and England, and only four internationals in the last year. Ferguson has described it as the most difficult time the defender has endured in his seven years at the club and, sharing those anxieties, England's medical staff have asked for regular updates about a player who has long been regarded as one of the key figures for Fabio Capello's team in South Africa next summer.
As for Ferdinand's state of mind, the defender is said to be surprised by the amount of criticism he has received and hurt by the suggestion that he has too many interests outside of the sport. His dedication is not being questioned at Old Trafford but there is genuine concern that he might be reaching a point in his career where the wear and tear on his body makes the most expensive defender in the world a player in decline.
