Injury Update 12/10/09

From Football365.com

Club managers are forever complaining that their international counterparts don't listen to them, and don't do them any failures when it comes to injured players.

However, things seem a little friendlier between Rafa Benitez and Spain boss Vicente del Bosque when it comes to Liverpool's only hope of a title challenge. Or 'Fernando Torres' as his mother calls him.

The moustachioed coach was quoted by Spanish rag AS on Monday morning as saying: "Torres is in very good hands here. Yesterday (Sunday) he stayed at the hotel and did not train because we went to a pitch in which there was no stretcher. He stayed at the hotel with the physios.

"Rafael Benitez has called me and I reassured him. We will care very much for Torres, like the rest.

"I told him (Benitez) that we will treat Torres as if he was at Liverpool. If the boy is well and wants to play, he will play against Bosnia. And if he has any problem, he will not play. It's that simple."

It will be interesting to see if Fabio Capello exercises the same caution with Steven Gerrard on Wednesday night. The Liverpool skipper was taken off at half time with a small groin twang (the twang is small, we can't comment on his groin) on Saturday, prompting fears that he would not only miss England's final qualifier, but Liverpool's big run of three games against Sunderland, Lyon then Manchester United.

However, a scan on Gerrard's nether regions revealed that he is A-OK, and could be fit to face Belarus.

One imagines that Wayne Rooney's withdrawal from Wednesday's squad was a precaution, and he will be fit in time to play for United against Bolton at the weekend.

Also available for that game might be Gabriel Obertan, who is all set to finally make his Manchester United debut in the Manchester Senior Cup against Oldham on Monday night. Obertan has not played since moving from Bordeaux in the summer, because of spinal problems, which sounds quite nasty. Also playing in the game at Hyde will be Da Silvas Fabio and Rafael, the latter is available after undergoing shoulder surgery.

More good news for one of the Prem's big boys now, and Michael Ballack's ankle injury, picked up during Germany's 1-0 win over Russia. It was initially thought that he would miss Germany's final group game against Finland, but those fears appear to have been allayed, by the man himself.

Ballack told ZDF: "It is not that serious as we had thought. During the match it was pretty much aching, but afterwards it was not. It is pretty fine now, though. I believe I could be ready for the match on Wednesday, thankfully it was not a big thing."

Kolo Toure looks like he'll be OK for Manchester City's next game (at Wigan on Sunday) after reporting the heel problem that forced him to miss Ivory Coast's 1-1 draw with Malawi at the weekend is improving.

"I'm getting better, as more time goes on I think the injury will get even better and I hope I will be available.

"I was a bit unlucky as it happened in the last minute of the game against Villa but what's important is that I think about my recovery and try to come back for the club. Hopefully I will be ready."

Joleon Lescott and Nigel De Jong are also looking good to be fit, after both pulling out of their respective international squads with calf and ankle injuries respectively.

Finally, Birmingham skipper Damien Johnson is on the mend after a few weeks out with a back problem.

"I picked up a little niggle after the United game. So I had an injection a couple of weeks ago and I've been easing myself back in training," Johnson told the Birmingham Mail.

Cheers,
AM