Terry to miss start of season

John Terry is set to miss the first month of the season after being ruled out of Chelsea's Community Shield clash against Manchester United with a knee injury.

The Chelsea captain is reported to have suffered medial knee ligament damage in training on Saturday and scans confirmed that he would not play in the match at Wembley.

The England defender, who had been playing through the pain barrier after breaking a toe in a pre-season friendly against Rangers, is likely to be sidelined for up to four weeks.

He will miss the beginning of the Premiership campaign and also England's friendly against Germany on 22 August.

He will also be a doubt for the crucial European Championship qualifiers against Israel and Russia next month.

Terry's place in the Chelsea defence for Sunday's match between the Premiership champions and FA Cup winners was taken by Tal Ben Haim, a close-season signing from Bolton Wanderers.