Giants' Umenyiora to miss season with knee injury

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora will miss the whole of the 2008 regular season because of an injury to his left knee, the Super Bowl champions said on Sunday.

Umenyiora, a two-time Pro Bowler, suffered the injury in Saturday's preseason game against the New York Jets and will have surgery on Tuesday.

An MRI scan on Sunday revealed that Umenyiora had a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee, which doctors said would require post-surgery recovery time of around four months.

"It was obviously the news I didn't want to hear but, after listening to the explanation, I am convinced this is the right procedure, the right way to go," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said during a conference call.

"It is an extensive injury that takes considerable time."

The loss of Umenyiora comes two months after the retirement of 15-year defenseman Michael Strahan, who helped the Giants upset the New England Patriots to win last season's Super Bowl in his final appearance.

Coughlin said he had not talked to Strahan about the possibility of coming out of retirement.

(Writing by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Peter Rutherford)