Manchester United received a blow on Wednesday with the news that key midfielder Michael Carrick will be unavailable for up to six weeks due to an Achilles injury. The 32-year-old withdrew from the england squad on Tuesday for the friendly games against Chile and Germany and faces a battle to return to fitness in time for the busy Christmas fixture schedule. "Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick will be out for four to six weeks with an Achilles injury, the club has confirmed," read a statement on the United website. "The 32-year-old playmaker, who played the full 90 minutes in United's 1-0 win over Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday, has appeared in 15 of the Reds' 18 matches so far this season but will be out of action until December." Carrick stands to miss Premier League games against Cardiff City, his former club Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Newcastle United, as well as United's final two UEFA Champions League group games against Bayer Leverkusen and Shakhtar Donetsk. A six-week absence would also leave him unavailable for the league game at Aston Villa on December 15, as well as the League Cup quarter-final against Stoke City three days later. Carrick expressed his frustration at the news on Twitter, writing: "A few weeks out for me. Hate missing games! Not used to this injury business. Come back stronger!!" Source: FIFA.com