|
Eduardo recovering after surgery
| |
|
|
Eduardo faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines
(¿Getty Images)
|
Arsenal FC striker Eduardo da Silva is recovering from surgery
in a London hospital after suffering a severe break to his left leg and
ankle during Saturday's Premier League draw at Birmingham City FC which
will keep him out for the rest of the season and Croatia's UEFA EURO 2008T
challenge.
'Horrendous'
The match was stopped for nearly ten minutes as the Brazilian-born Eduardo
was treated on the field before being carried off on a stretcher. Birmingham
defender Martin Taylor was given a straight red card for his third-minute
challenge on the forward. "The tackle was horrendous," said
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. "I've seen some bad ones before but
you are not always punished with a broken leg. The minimum is that the
season is over and we're scared it is much longer."
'Fantastic guy'
Eduardo was taken to hospital in Birmingham where he was diagnosed with
compound fractures of the tibia and fibula, and medical staff at the ground
were also reported to be shocked at the seriousness of the injury. "He
is a fantastic guy and to see him in such pain and the shape of his leg
was very difficult to take for our players," added Wenger, who said
Eduardo had broken his leg and ankle.
Qualifying feat
Born in Rio de Janeiro on 25 February 1983, Eduardo moved to Croatia aged
15 to join NK Dinamo Zagreb as an apprentice. After obtaining Croatian
citizenship, he made his international debut against the Republic of Ireland
in 2004 and is one of a number of Brazilians playing for other national
sides. Eduardo, who joined Arsenal last July, was looking forward to playing
for Croatia at this summer's UEFA European Championship. With ten goals
overall, he was the second top scorer in qualifying for the finals in
Austria and Switzerland.
UEFA.com,
24 February 2008
|
|
