The Romanian limped off during Saturday’s 3-2 victory away to Reggina and there were fears he had sprained the left knee with a strain to the ligament, requiring a three-week lay-off.

However today the official club website announced that tests performed at the San Matteo clinic in Pavia discovered “a lesion of the interior collateral ligament in the left knee.”

The medical staff have decided not to pursue an operation for the problem, instead trying to cure him with non-surgical therapies.

It remains to be seen how long Chivu will be out for, but it is likely to be a month at the very least.

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