Euro 2012 News: Michael Dawson and Jermaine Defoe injured, Fabio Capello anxious about Switzerland match
Centre back Michael Dawson has picked up an injury in the last match against Bulgaria. After the 4-0 victory, the Tottenham Hotspurs player injured his knee while defending and though he looked good enough in the match, English doctors have announced that they are reviewing his knee injury and no official verdict can be given till the final reports and scans are in.
The scans were immediately completed after the match and the examination process is still under process. English doctors have informed that they will be keeping Dawson under constant observation. They concluded that though it was premature to declare the extent of the injury, they can confirm that there is a strong possibility that he might be ruled out for the entire qualification stage.
The defender got the injury on his right leg after he gawkily used it in defending. The match in Wembley did bring some good news for England after their disastrous FIFA 2010 World Cup campaign as Wayne Rooney and Jermaine Defoe performed brilliantly, taking England to a 4-0 victory.
Rooney assisted in all the goals that Defoe scored, helping the centre back score a hatrick of goals. The fourth goal was struck by Manchester City's Adam Johnson. Despite this great triumph, there was bad news from the Three Lions. Apart from Dawson, England’s leading goal scorer and man of the match Jermaine Defoe is also believed to be injured. The injury came just after he scored the 3rd goal.
Doctors have commented that the Tottenham striker is also under examination and they can only confirm his participation in the next match before medical reports don’t come in.
In defence, England is deep in trouble as their original centre back has already ruled himself out because of an injury. The Chelsea player John Terry stated earlier that he won’t be available for the qualification fixtures as he had developed a leg injury.
This meant that Dawson had to fill in for Terry. The 26-year-old defender has appeared in just two matches for England therefore he has yet to gain experience. The team doctors have stated that it is expected that the English player will not appear in the next qualification match against Switzerland.
The expected replacement for Dawson is Gary Cahill. Apart from him, other possibilities for Dawson’s replacement include Phil Jagielka, Matthew Upson and Joleon Lescott. For now rumours have suggested that Bolton Wanderers player Cahill is going to be the man in Dawson’s shoes.
Rio Ferdinand accompanies John Terry in central defence, who is out since the start of the season. Now Ferdinand is up and ready and has been included in the reserves of the Three Lions.
The match was a welcome victory for Fabio Capello. The Italian manager has stated on the injuries that he does worry about the team’s performance as they were developing chemistry and form.
Capello also commented that he cannot claim right now that his two star players are out of the competition this early. He uttered that the final reports from team doctors will decide the fate of the players in the end.
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