Pienaar problem concerns Ajax
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
Article summary
AFC Ajax have been dealt a blow after learning that Steven Pienaar could be out of action for up to a year.
Article body
Knee problem
Ajax will almost certainly have to do without the 21-year-old for the rest of this season after he was diagnosed with nerve damage in his left knee. The South African international last played on 22 October in a UEFA Champions League match against RC Celta de Vigo.
Rare injury
It was initially thought that Pienaar would only be absent for six weeks. Nevertheless, Ajax club doctor Edwin Goedhart was keen to allay fears that the injury could be career-threatening. "The rumours that he will not recover from the injury are not based on anything," he said. "But it is a very rare injury. With comparable injuries in American football players, the recovery period lasted from six months to a year."
