Serbia & Montenegro defender Nemanja Vidic will miss the rest of the World Cup finals after suffering a knee injury during training.

The 24-year-old Manchester United centre-back had missed the opening game of the tournament against the Netherlands due to suspension, before injuring his left knee in training.

Coach Ilija Petkovic had admitted that defensive problems had contributed to the 1-0 defeat by the Netherlands in their opening game, saying: "We will try to strengthen our defence with Vidic back in the team.

"Reaching the second round will now be an uphill task, although not entirely impossible."

Vidic had been a key figure during qualifying for Serbia, helping his side to concede just one goal as they clinched their place in Germany.