Dacourt could be out for season

FC Internazionale Milano coach Roberto Mancini fears losing Olivier Dacourt for the season following a fresh assessment on the midfielder's knee injury.

Surgery
The 33-year-old former French international was hurt during Sunday's 2-0 Serie A defeat of ACF Fiorentina and was initially ruled out for seven weeks. But he underwent surgery to repair ligament and cartilage damage yesterday, leaving Mancini pessimistic. "Unfortunately Dacourt's injury is a bad blow," he said. "We thought he would be out for 40 days but now we fear he will be out for the whole season instead. I wish him all the best; he's an extraordinary man and an excellent player."

Midfield woes
Mancini, whose side have already secured top spot in UEFA Champions League Group G ahead of their trip to PSV Eindhoven next week, is also without Luís Figo and Patrick Vieira in midfield, while Dejan Stanković has sat out the last two Serie A fixtures with a heel injury. "He has been struggling with this problem since the beginning of the season," Mancini said of the Serbian. "Unfortunately we haven't managed to find a solution. Sometimes he's in too much pain to play. We hope he'll overcome this problem as soon as possible."