Back injury sidelines Ferdinand again

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand will visit a specialist on Monday after he was ruled out of his side's home Premier League clash with Chelsea today because of a recurring back injury.

The England international had been declared fit in the buildup to the game but manager Alex Ferguson said he had suffered a muscle spasm.

"Rio trained all week without a problem but woke up this morning with another spasm so we're going to send him to another specialist tomorrow because it's becoming a problem for us," Ferguson told Sky Sports.

Ferdinand has missed United's last four matches.