It is also very unlikely that the 31 year old will be fit enough to take his place in the England squad that faces Egypt next week.
Ferdinand missed the 3-0 win over West Ham on Tuesday night and United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said:"He tweaked his back in training and he won't be ready for Sunday.
"It is unfortunate for him that he's going to miss a couple of games.
"Rio has been training great too. There have been no mishaps at all, but when you get these twinges you can't take a chance."