Nowotny breaks down again

Jens Nowotny will miss the remainder of the season after rupturing cruciate ligaments on Sunday in a game which marked his return to the Bayer 04 Leverkusen defence following nine months out with an identical injury.

Searing pain
Leverkusen's captain, libero and totem, Nowotny felt a searing pain in his troublesome right knee in the second half of the 3-0 defeat by FC Energie Cottbus which left his struggling team 14th in the 1. Bundesliga standings. The 29-year-old had to stay on until the final whistle because coach Klaus Toppmöller had already made three substitutions.

Missed out
Nowotny suffered the original injury on 30 April in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Manchester United FC. His absence from the heart of the defence coincided with Leverkusen finishing runners-up in the Bundesliga, the German Cup and in the Champions League. He also missed out on Germany's second-placed finish in the FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan, Christoph Metzelder ably filling his shoes in central defence.

Second operation
A former FC Germania Friedrichstal and SV Spielberg player, Nowotny joined Leverkusen from Karlsruher SC in 1996 and soon became integral to Leverkusen's development into a force in German and European football. He was due to return to action last October after initial surgery but complications with his recovery saw him again go under the knife of the esteemed surgeon Dr Richard Steadman in Colorado, an operation which ruled him out until last Sunday.

Qualifying matches
In Nowotny's absence Leverskusen have advanced to the second group stage of this season's Champions League, although they have no points from two matches in Group A. Germany coach Rudi Völler would also have hoped to call on the 37-cap defender for forthcoming UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying matches, but will now be without Nowotny until at least the trip to Iceland on 6 September.

'Horrible blow'

I believe Jens has got the will and the courage to come back again