Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Solskjaer's United career under threat
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will today be facing up to the thought of never playing for Manchester United again after suffering a massive injury setback.
Solskjaer: United career over? (CliveBrunskill/GettyImages)
The 31-year-old striker could miss the entirety of the forthcoming season with a recurrence of an injury which forced him to miss most of the last campaign, and with only one year left on his contract the signs are not good for an extended stay at Old Trafford.
'Ole underwent an arthroscopy in Gothenburg,' said a United spokesman. 'This unfortunately confirmed persistent damage to the articular cartilage of his right knee. He will undergo further treatment but it is likely that Ole will miss the whole of this season.'
It is another huge blow to manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who must select from a depleted squad for the crucial Champions League third qualifying round first leg tie against Dinamo Bucharest tomorrow.
The 31-year-old missed five months of last season after an operation to cure the same problem but returned in February believing his injury nightmare was at an end.
Yet even towards the back end of the campaign there were murmurings that all was not well with the Norwegian, although the speculation was flatly denied by Ferguson, if not by Solskjaer who was strangely non-committal on the issue.
When he came on as a second-half substitute in the FA Cup final win over Millwall in May, it seemed Solskjaer's recovery was virtually complete.
Instead, the man Ferguson had originally earmarked to fill the right-sided midfield slot vacated by David Beckham felt more twinges of pain during pre-season training.
He pulled out of last month's US tour on the eve of departure and headed for Sweden for further -*test*-('")s, the outcome of which have devastated the United camp.
Solskjaer, a virtual unknown when he joined United from Molde for £1.5million in 1996, described the time he spent rehabilitating last year as the hardest of his entire career.
He now faces a similar fight to get back on the field again and while he can take heart from Red Devils defender Wes Brown, who has battled back from two lots of cruciate knee ligament surgery, he knows that age is against him.
It also gives Ferguson another headache as he faces up to the start of a new campaign with his squad stretched to breaking point.
United will be without nine senior players for tomorrow's vital Champions League encounter with Dinamo Bucharest, with Alan Smith and Diego Forlan his only fit forwards.
Ferguson, speaking before the team flew to Romania, said: 'He has got a two-year contract and is only 31 and he has a determination that will hopefully help him.
'It is not an easy situation for the lad, it's a blow and it is something we had feared. He had to go and see a specialist and he had to have surgery but hopefully now he'll get a good rehabilitation.
'He has had one or two injuries in the past but he overcame those and I am sure he will do so again. He is mentally strong, that's a great advantage.'
Having spoken enthusiastically last month about the striking options available to him, Ferguson will now desperately hope Ruud van Nistelrooy and Louis Saha do not take any longer than three weeks to recover from their respective hernia and knee injuries.
While the Solskjaer blow means Forlan is set to receive a stay of execution after spending the summer believing he would be leaving Old Trafford, the news is only likely to heighten speculation about a bid for Everton's Wayne Rooney, who himself is out for at least another month with the foot injury he suffered on England duty in the summer.
Any offer for Rooney is not likely to be made until January, by which time Ferguson will have a clearer idea over whether Solskjaer is likely to resume his illustrious playing career.
It is certainly the last thing United wanted to hear as they limp to Bucharest for what their manager has described as a 'killer' game.
Quinton Fortune, who himself missed a huge chunk of last season and made his return in Sunday's Community Shield match against Arsenal, believes there is enough quality in the United squad to prosper even without some of the top names.
'This has not been as smooth a pre-season as last season,' the South African told MUTV.
'But we have to do what we can until the other players get back from where they are - whether it is the Olympics or injuries. We still have a lot of players fit and we have to focus on the players we have got.
'Whichever team the gaffer picks he expects to win.'
Just what we've been fearing all along--after a torrid preseason and tons of injuries, now this.![sad.gif](http://4.<a href="http://www.forumer.com">forumer</a>.com/html/emoticons/sad.gif)
Solskjaer's United career under threat
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will today be facing up to the thought of never playing for Manchester United again after suffering a massive injury setback.
Solskjaer: United career over? (CliveBrunskill/GettyImages)
The 31-year-old striker could miss the entirety of the forthcoming season with a recurrence of an injury which forced him to miss most of the last campaign, and with only one year left on his contract the signs are not good for an extended stay at Old Trafford.
'Ole underwent an arthroscopy in Gothenburg,' said a United spokesman. 'This unfortunately confirmed persistent damage to the articular cartilage of his right knee. He will undergo further treatment but it is likely that Ole will miss the whole of this season.'
It is another huge blow to manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who must select from a depleted squad for the crucial Champions League third qualifying round first leg tie against Dinamo Bucharest tomorrow.
The 31-year-old missed five months of last season after an operation to cure the same problem but returned in February believing his injury nightmare was at an end.
Yet even towards the back end of the campaign there were murmurings that all was not well with the Norwegian, although the speculation was flatly denied by Ferguson, if not by Solskjaer who was strangely non-committal on the issue.
When he came on as a second-half substitute in the FA Cup final win over Millwall in May, it seemed Solskjaer's recovery was virtually complete.
Instead, the man Ferguson had originally earmarked to fill the right-sided midfield slot vacated by David Beckham felt more twinges of pain during pre-season training.
He pulled out of last month's US tour on the eve of departure and headed for Sweden for further -*test*-('")s, the outcome of which have devastated the United camp.
Solskjaer, a virtual unknown when he joined United from Molde for £1.5million in 1996, described the time he spent rehabilitating last year as the hardest of his entire career.
He now faces a similar fight to get back on the field again and while he can take heart from Red Devils defender Wes Brown, who has battled back from two lots of cruciate knee ligament surgery, he knows that age is against him.
It also gives Ferguson another headache as he faces up to the start of a new campaign with his squad stretched to breaking point.
United will be without nine senior players for tomorrow's vital Champions League encounter with Dinamo Bucharest, with Alan Smith and Diego Forlan his only fit forwards.
Ferguson, speaking before the team flew to Romania, said: 'He has got a two-year contract and is only 31 and he has a determination that will hopefully help him.
'It is not an easy situation for the lad, it's a blow and it is something we had feared. He had to go and see a specialist and he had to have surgery but hopefully now he'll get a good rehabilitation.
'He has had one or two injuries in the past but he overcame those and I am sure he will do so again. He is mentally strong, that's a great advantage.'
Having spoken enthusiastically last month about the striking options available to him, Ferguson will now desperately hope Ruud van Nistelrooy and Louis Saha do not take any longer than three weeks to recover from their respective hernia and knee injuries.
While the Solskjaer blow means Forlan is set to receive a stay of execution after spending the summer believing he would be leaving Old Trafford, the news is only likely to heighten speculation about a bid for Everton's Wayne Rooney, who himself is out for at least another month with the foot injury he suffered on England duty in the summer.
Any offer for Rooney is not likely to be made until January, by which time Ferguson will have a clearer idea over whether Solskjaer is likely to resume his illustrious playing career.
It is certainly the last thing United wanted to hear as they limp to Bucharest for what their manager has described as a 'killer' game.
Quinton Fortune, who himself missed a huge chunk of last season and made his return in Sunday's Community Shield match against Arsenal, believes there is enough quality in the United squad to prosper even without some of the top names.
'This has not been as smooth a pre-season as last season,' the South African told MUTV.
'But we have to do what we can until the other players get back from where they are - whether it is the Olympics or injuries. We still have a lot of players fit and we have to focus on the players we have got.
'Whichever team the gaffer picks he expects to win.'
Just what we've been fearing all along--after a torrid preseason and tons of injuries, now this.
![unsure.gif](http://4.<a href="http://www.forumer.com">forumer</a>.com/html/emoticons/unsure.gif)
![biggrin.gif](http://4.<a href="http://www.forumer.com">forumer</a>.com/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)