Udinese star Di Natale out indefinitely with knee injury

Udine, Italy - Udinese confirmed on Wednesday that captain Antonio Di Natale will be spending an indefinite amount of time on the sidelines due to a knee injury.

Di Natale played the full 90 minutes and scored the game's lone goal in a 1-0 win over Catania last weekend, but it was revealed after the match that he had suffered a strained ligament in his right knee.

"The medicals undergone by Udinese captain Antonio Di Natale earlier today have underlined the strain to the medial collateral ligament of the right knee. The extent of the injury will be considered in the next few days," a statement on Udinese's website read.

The 36-year-old announced earlier this season that he would retire at the end of the campaign, although he has been less sure of the decision in recent interviews, leaving open the possibility of a return.

However, it is unclear when he will return to action for Udinese, which sits in 14th place but is a relatively comfortable 13 points clear of the relegation zone.

Di Natale leads the club with 11 goals in league play this season, and he has netted 199 goals in 383 games for Udinese since joining the team in 2004.