MADRID, Spain (AP) - FC Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o will be out of action for five months after tearing and displacing the meniscus of his right knee, the club said Thursday.
Ramon Cugat, the doctor who performed arthroscopic surgery on the striker on Thursday, said Eto'o would be out for longer than initially thought as his meniscus was repaired and not extracted.
The Cameroon striker is likely to miss the rest of the Champions League group stage and around 20 Spanish league games.
Cugat said Eto'o would have his knee immobilized for four weeks and would spend at least a night in hospital.
''Samuel wants to leave tomorrow although it would be more prudent for him to stay until the weekend,'' Cugat was quoted as saying by news agency Europa Press.
Eto'o was carried off on a stretcher after attempting a pass to Ronaldinho in the 65th minute of Barcelona's 1-1 draw Wednesday at Werder Bremen in the Champions League.
''This type of injury occurs with a sudden change in the direction of the knee,'' club doctor, Ricard Pruna, was quoted as saying on the club's website Thursday.
The striker's absence is likely to be covered by Iceland's Eidur Gudjohnsen, although Argentina's Javier Saviola also will have a chance of appearing. Saviola, who spent the last two years on loan and nearly left the club in the off-season, made his first league appearance for Barcelona since 2004 last weekend.
Eto'o, voted third in last year's FIFA world player of the year award, was making his 101st appearance for Barcelona.
The 25-year-old, Africa's top player of the last three seasons, has scored 68 goals for the club, including 26 last season which made him the Spanish league's top scorer. He heads this season's chart with four.
Barcelona, defending European and Spanish league champion, is second behind Chelsea in Champions League Group A. It lies top in the Spanish league with 10 points from four games.
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Wow, when I saw it, it didn't seem too bad. Looked like a minor injury. 5 months. So I guess we'll be seeing more of Leonel Messi instead. :thumb:
Ramon Cugat, the doctor who performed arthroscopic surgery on the striker on Thursday, said Eto'o would be out for longer than initially thought as his meniscus was repaired and not extracted.
The Cameroon striker is likely to miss the rest of the Champions League group stage and around 20 Spanish league games.
Cugat said Eto'o would have his knee immobilized for four weeks and would spend at least a night in hospital.
''Samuel wants to leave tomorrow although it would be more prudent for him to stay until the weekend,'' Cugat was quoted as saying by news agency Europa Press.
Eto'o was carried off on a stretcher after attempting a pass to Ronaldinho in the 65th minute of Barcelona's 1-1 draw Wednesday at Werder Bremen in the Champions League.
''This type of injury occurs with a sudden change in the direction of the knee,'' club doctor, Ricard Pruna, was quoted as saying on the club's website Thursday.
The striker's absence is likely to be covered by Iceland's Eidur Gudjohnsen, although Argentina's Javier Saviola also will have a chance of appearing. Saviola, who spent the last two years on loan and nearly left the club in the off-season, made his first league appearance for Barcelona since 2004 last weekend.
Eto'o, voted third in last year's FIFA world player of the year award, was making his 101st appearance for Barcelona.
The 25-year-old, Africa's top player of the last three seasons, has scored 68 goals for the club, including 26 last season which made him the Spanish league's top scorer. He heads this season's chart with four.
Barcelona, defending European and Spanish league champion, is second behind Chelsea in Champions League Group A. It lies top in the Spanish league with 10 points from four games.
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Wow, when I saw it, it didn't seem too bad. Looked like a minor injury. 5 months. So I guess we'll be seeing more of Leonel Messi instead. :thumb:
