Jose Mourinho confirms fresh injury blow for Manchester United

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Nemanja Matic will miss the start of the Premier League campaign after undergoing a surgery on an injury sustained at the World Cup.

The Serbia international joined his teammates in training earlier in the week despite carrying an abdominal injury and he has now undergone an operation to rectify the issue.

Speaking after United's 4-1 friendly defeat to Liverpool, Mourinho confirmed that the Serbian would certainly miss the start of the season as he steps up his recovery from the surgery.

"Matic came from the World Cup with an injury and the time he had to rest on holiday was not enough to resolve the problem," he said via BBC Sport. "He went to Philadelphia for a top specialist and he didn't leave the clinic. He immediately had surgery." 

United begin their Premier League campaign with a Friday night showdown against Leicester City and Mourinho could be forced to feature a depleted squad versus the Foxes.

Aside from Matic, United are missing the services of a number of players who were present at the World Cup whilst Antonio Valencia, Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw remain doubts for the curtain raiser.