Hofland to miss PSV push

Tendon torn
The Dutch international has had a stop-start season that has seen him feature in only seven domestic games and make just four UEFA Champions League appearances. It was in the latter competition that he first suffered the injury, tearing a tendon in his right ankle on 25 September against English champions Arsenal FC.

Surgery carried out 
Hofland, 23, has now set his sights on being fit for next season. On Wednesday, he had an operation at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam to remove some cartilage and repair the damage to the problem ankle.

Looking forward 
The player's foot will be in plaster for the next six weeks, and he faces a total wait of up to four months before getting back to fitness. "I am glad the operation is over," Hofland told his club's official website. "I will have to be patient over the next few weeks when my ankle is in plaster and then I will try to recover. And hopefully I will be fully fit at the start of the new season."

European target 
In Hofland's absence, table-topping PSV have had a terrific season in the Eredivisie. Guus Hiddink's men are eight points clear of nearest rivals AFC Ajax and look poised for the title and the Netherlands' only automatic place in the first group stage of next season's Champions League.