Diarra set to miss rest of season

Mali midfielder Mahamadou Diarra will be sidelined for six to nine months after undergoing knee surgery, his club Real Madrid confirmed on Monday.

The 27-year-old sustained the injury to his right knee while playing for his country against Chad in October.

He was initially out of action for two weeks before returning for Real.

A month later, however, he aggravated the injury in a league game and an X-ray last week confirmed he would need arthroscopic surgery.

Diarra's absence will only adds to Real's long injury list.

The Spanish champions have struggled this season due to a shortage of fit players and they are fifth in the Spanish table, nine points behind leaders Barcelona.

The club signed Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar last week and he is being seen as a replacement for Ruud van Nistelrooy, who is also out until the end of the season with a knee injury.

Diarra will also be sorely missed by Mali, as he will be absent for the opening matches of their final round of qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations, which begin in March.