England star John Terry a doubt for the World Cup
England have been rocked by the news that former captain John Terry was taken to hospital earlier today after suffering a suspected broken metatarsal in training.
The Chelsea captain is now awaiting the results of a scan, and if the extent of the injury is as bad as feared, the 29-year-old will miss the forthcoming World Cup finals.
Terry was in training with the Premier League champions ahead of their FA Cup Final against Portsmouth on Saturday. He was later spotted wearing a protective boot on his right foot, while hobbling in discomfort.
Chelsea then confirmed on their official website that Terry had indeed been taken to hospital.
“He left Cobham walking freely in a protective boot, and we await the results which are expected on Thursday,” read the brief statement.
It’s been a hugely eventful year for the England defender so far – and it’s showing few signs of abating now. Before lifting the Premier League trophy last Sunday, Terry was stripped of the England captain’s armband after reports emerged that he’d had an alleged affair with Wayne Bridge’s ex-partner, Vanessa Perroncel.
The metatarsal injury has been the scourge of the England national team over the past decade, with the dreaded broken toe affecting several high-profile players including David Beckham and Wayne Rooney.
In 2002, Beckham suffered the most iconic metatarsal injury while playing for Manchester United against Deportivo La Coruna in the Champions League. It was the defining moment which brought the word “metatarsal” to the public’s attention.
Despite winning his race to be travel to South Korea and Japan for the 2002 World Cup finals, Beckham was never fully fit, and he infamously shirked a challenge against Brazil in the quarter-finals which eventually resulted in the Samba kings’ crucial equaliser against England.
Meanwhile, Rooney has also been on the receiving end of this niggly injury on two separate occasions. At Euro 2004 he suffered a break to his fifth metatarsal against Portugal; and then just before the 2006 World Cup - a la John Terry - Rooney broke another metatarsal against Chelsea and faced his own race to be fit for that summer’s World Cup.
Although the initial diagnosis effectively ruled him out of the group stages, he still made the 23-man squad. However, the Manchester United striker only missed England’s opening match against Paraguay in the end, after staging his own miraculous recovery following weeks of sleeping in an oxygen tent.
Terry will be hoping for a similar recovery if it’s confirmed that he has suffered a broken metatarsal. But he will be particularly concerned having suffered this injury once before. On that occasion back in 2007, it took the central defender three months to recover.
Like every England supporter, Fabio Capello will be eagerly awaiting tomorrow’s news with bated breath.
Wayne Bridge, meanwhile, famously announced his international retirement back in February for “the sake of the team” on the basis that he could no longer work alongside Terry.
Just what must he be thinking now?
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