Barca's Milito sidelined for up to nine months after surgery

MADRID, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Argentina defender Gabriel Milito could miss Barcelona's matches for up to nine months after surgery to correct a damaged knee ligament revealed a complete tear, said the Primera Liga club on Tuesday.

It added three more months to the initial prognosis ruling Milito out for six months for an injury he picked up in the Champions League semifinal second leg defeat against Manchester United last month.

"The six months could stretch to nine as this type of operation could have more complications," surgeon Ramon Cugat told a news conference.

"First we carried out arthroscopic surgery on the right knee and discovered that effectively the ligament was broken, so we proceeded to extract tendon from the left knee to incorporate it into the damaged one," he added.

The 27-year-old, having moved to Barca from Real Zaragoza for a fee of up to 20.5 million euros last July, has been a key player in their defence this season.