The Blues skipper, who hit the headlines again on Friday after the FA stripped him of the England captaincy, remains out of action with a knee problem and will not play on Sunday.

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has revealed club captain John Terry will not feature in Sunday’s match against Manchester United.

The 31-year-old hit the headlines again on Friday as the FA announced its decision to strip him of the England captaincy with the center back due to stand trial nine days after Euro 2012 for racial abuse allegations.

The defender has strenuously denied the charge and entered a plea of not guilty but the Football Association chose to act now to avoid unnecessary speculation in the build up to the European Championships in June.

Terry missed Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Swansea City with a knee problem and is still struggling to maintain full fitness for this weekend’s clash with the Premier League champions.

Chelsea’s official Twitter account posted: “AVB [Andre Villas-Boas] rules Terry out of Sunday's game due to his knee injury. His replacement is not yet decided.”