Reds hit by double injury blow
Xabi Alonso is a regular starter in midfield for Liverpool
Thursday, 20, Sep 2007 12:28
Liverpool have been told they will be without the services of two of their top first-team players after Daniel Agger and Xabi Alonso were both ruled out with broken metatarsals.
Both players returned from international duty last week with foot injuries and were immediately sent for scans to determine the extent of the problems.
Defender Agger played for Denmark as they kept two consecutive clean sheets during the international window – a goalless draw in Sweden followed by a 4-0 win over Liechtenstein.
And midfielder Alonso played for Spain in their 1-1 draw in Iceland on Saturday September 8th.
However he was sent off after only 20 minutes of that match for stamping on Iceland's Arnar Vidarsson and was consequently suspended for the next match, a 2-0 win over Latvia in Oviedo.
Liverpool spokesman Ian Cotton told the club's TV channel: "Neither player will require surgery but we expect them to be out of action for between four and six weeks.
"Xabi Alonso has suffered a stress fracture to the fourth metatarsal in his left foot and Daniel Agger has suffered a stress fracture to the second metatarsal in his right foot."
The news means both men will miss a number of key games for the Reds over the next month.
Liverpool play Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as the Merseyside derby against Everton in the Premier League in the coming weeks.
There are also matches against Marseilles in the Champions League (Wednesday October 3rd) and Reading in the Carling Cup (Wednesday September 25th) to come in which manager Rafael Benitez will need to use his full squad to cover for the absentees.