Craig Bellamy: "I am out for a month and so it is gutting for me not to be able to start the season, especially as I have had a great pre-season and worked really hard.
"But it won't affect me too much in terms of working through the rehabilitation for this injury and to get back better than before again.
"I have probably had the best pre-season ever and I think I have shown that I proved my point in that I totally recovered from my injury last year and have returned fitter and stronger like I said I would.
"I wanted to hit the ground running and make an immediate impact.
"I have done this in pre-season, and was looking to carry this into the start of the new season, but I will just have to wait a bit now to do this."
2001-5 C.Bellamy 119/13 42
Signed from Coventry City in the summer of 2001 for £6m, one year after Bobby Robson tried to sign him from Norwich. Striker who went through a terrible time at Highfield Road, and blamed for Coventry's relegation. But his first season at SJP was remarkable. His injury towards the close of 2001/2 cost United a crack at the title. Made headlines on the front of the newspapers as well as the back for incidents including rascial abuse. Then of course there was the physical battle on the training ground as soon as Graeme Souness arrived at SJP. Souness tried to sell him to Birmingham but he turned it down at the last moment and went on loan to Celtic. Sold to Blackburn Rovers in July 2005 for £5m plus add-ons.