England defender Wes Brown has suffered an unfortunate injury blow and will be out of action for between four and six weeks, his club have confirmed.

The Manchester United player was injured after a challenge with Wolves' Matt Jarvis during the Red Devils' 1-0 win on Saturday and subsequent X-rays have confirmed Brown suffered a broken bone.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports News: "Unfortunately he's had a career that's been blighted with injury, and all long-term injuries unfortunately for the lad.

"He's got another one and he'll be out for four to six weeks. I hope that we can get him back for some of the season, but that's the situation for him."

Brown's injury means he will miss Premier League games against Fulham, Liverpool, Bolton and the vital clash with Chelsea and could face a race against time to reach full fitness ahead of the World Cup.

The 30-year-old's withdrawal from the United squad adds to Ferguson's injury woes ahead of Wednesday's Champions League second-leg clash with AC Milan.

Anderson, Ryan Giggs, Michael Owen and John O'Shea are also unavailable though Ferguson received a welcome boot on Tuesday with the news that in-form forward Wayne Rooney will be free.
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