Premier League news: Jonathan Woodgate may have to retire: Redknapp; Danny Murphy fears Schwarzer departure
Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp fears that his experienced defender Jonathan Woodgate is on the verge of a career-threatening injury. He said that the defender, who has been plagued with injuries for years, may have to hang his boots if a final operation fails to solve his problems. Ever since he made the move to Real Madrid 6 years ago, he has not been able to get a regular place in the starting line-up due to long term injuries.
Last season, Woodgate played just 3 matches for Tottenham and has not been action since November last year. The 30 year old has had specialist surgeries in USA and Australia but his injury still persists, and Redknapp believes that if this time his injury is not sorted out, he may have to retire from the game.
Harry Redknapp said that team physios have been working hard on him but there needs to be an operation to permanently fix his persistent injury problems. The Spurs manager said that for now it is not clear where he would be operated, but one thing is for sure, it would not be in England. He said that it is likely that he would go to the USA once again to get the procedure done, and they are all hopeful that his injury will finally be taken care of.
Meanwhile, Fulham’s experienced midfielder Danny Murphy has expressed his concerns over the possible departure of Mark Schwarzer. He said that it would be a huge loss to the club if Mark Leaves. Fulham has officially confirmed that they have received an improved bid from the Gunners for the 37 year old keeper. Arsenal did make a bid of 2 million pounds earlier, but Fulham had rejected that, after which Schwarzer handed in his transfer request.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is keen on getting his hands on the experienced Aussie and has been pursuing him ever since the transfer window opened. However, Fulham’s new manager Mark Hughes has said that he is determined to hang on to his keeper and would try to convince him to stay.
Meanwhile, Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce has said that he is confident that his defender Phil Jones would be able to make the transition into a holding midfielder this season. Sam said that Jones is a natural and should not have any problems making the switch.
It was a surprise move from Allardyce when he decided to play Jones in the midfield on the opening day of the season. Jones played last season as a central defender and earned great reviews from all over. However, Allardyce believes that he would be more suitable in the midfield and would be able to provide the team with more stability from that position. The 18 year old played well in midfield last weekend and vindicated his manager’s decision.
Allardyce said that in the long run he may eventually play as a central defender, but for now he would be more suited in the midfield, and given his physical presence, he is more suited to this role.
Big Sam said that the best players in the game are those who have the ability to adapt to different positions when needed. He added that Jones is one player he thinks very highly of, and he has no doubt that he would serve the team well throughout the season in the more advanced role.
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