AC Milan's Ukrainian superstar Andriy Shevchenko faces a race against time to be fit for the World Cup finals after injuring his left knee in the 3-2 win at Parma.

The Rossoneri have confirmed that the 29-year-old faces nearly a month on the sidelines, leaving him little time to recover fully for Ukraine's debut in the World Cup finals.

A statement on the club's official website: "Andriy Shevchenko, was forced off the pitch after just eight minutes at Parma.

"He underwent an x-ray on his left knee and the diagnosis is a sprain and stretching of the medial collateral ligament.

"The striker will not need an operation and is expected to be fit to play in 25 days."

Ukraine will be praying that their talismanic goalscorer is fit for the action in Germany, where they have been drawn in Group H with Spain, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.