Montolivo out 5-6 months after knee surgery; Ramos sorry for tackle

AC Milan will be without Riccardo Montolivo for 5-6 months, with the Italian side confirming Saturday that the midfielder has undergone surgery to repair a torn ACL suffered in Italy's World Cup qualifier against Spain earlier in the week.

The 31-year-old sustained the injury after a tackle from Sergio Ramos, immediately crumbling to the pitch and grabbing his left knee. Incredibly, Montolivo was penalised on the play.

"The surgeon Professor Doctor Herbert Schoenhuber is satisfied with the result of the surgery," Milan announced. "The recovery time will be 5 to 6 months, unless complications arise."

The setback is just the latest in a long line of significant ailments for the former Fiorentina standout - Montolivo missed Euro 2016 while recovering from a calf problem, and was ruled out of the 2014 World Cup after breaking his leg in a pre-tournament friendly.

The 63-time capped international has been replaced in the Italian squad by Torino's Marco Benassi, as bench boss Giampiero Ventura and compnay prepare for Sunday's qualifier in Macedonia.

Meanwhile, Ramos offered his support for his felled adversary on Twitter, showing remorse for the unfortunate outcome of his rash tackle.