The Hindmarsh Club Champion of 2007/08 left Adelaide for Rio de Janeiro with his family this morning to get his left knee operated on for the second time.

He ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in last weeks trial match against MetroStars, the same injury he suffered while playing in Brazil back in 2003.

Cassio will use the Brazilian national team surgeon Dr Jose Luis Runco, the same surgeon that performed his first knee reconstruction five years ago.

Following the operation, the 28 year olds progress and treatment will then be overseen by physiotherapists from his former Brazilian club Flamengo until he returns to Australia.

He said: "I’ve talked with Dr Runco and he told me ‘I want to do your surgery’. Dr Runco has known me for 10 years.

“This is nothing against United, the doctor or the physio, I just want to stay there (in Brazil) for the operation because I feel more comfortable.”

The operation is expected to be done on Saturday with Cassio to stay in Brazil for six weeks before arriving back in Adelaide to continue his rehabilitation with The Reds.

He is expected to be out of action for up to the next nine months and is unlikely to play any part in the remainder of United’s AFC Champions League 2008 campaign or the Hyundai A-League 2008/09 Season.