Zubov blow for club and country

Gennadiy Zubov will miss Ukraine's next two UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying games and the remainder of the Ukrainian Premier League season after undergoing surgery on a groin injury.

Long lay-off
Zubov sustained the injury in training ahead of Ukraine's 2-2 Group 6 draw with Spain on 29 March. The FC Shakhtar Donetsk midfield player will be out of action for three months, ruling him out of the visit of Armenia to Lviv on 7 June and the trip to Athens to tackle Greece four days later.

Second place
The 25-year-old has won 23 caps for his country. He scored against Armenia in September, a 2-2 draw, and featured in the 2-0 victory against Greece. Zubov sat out Ukraine's next qualifier, a 0-0 draw in Northern Ireland, and the thrilling draw with Spain, a result which leaves his side second in the group, four points behind the Spanish.

'A huge loss'
As well as sitting out crucial games for his country, Zubov will miss the domestic championship run-in as Shakhtar bid to fend off the challenge of FC Dynamo Kyiv. Coach Valeriy Yaremchenko, whose side are four points clear of the capital club after 19 matches, said of the player's absence: "Zubov is a huge loss for us. He is the engine room of our team, our leader."

Injury worries
Meanwhile, Shaktar will also have to manage without striker Julius Aghahowa after he had an operation on an ankle injury. The Nigerian international is expected to be out for a month. There was some cheer for Shakhtar, however, Yaremchenko confirming that goalkeeper Dmytro Shutkov will resume training later this week after picking up a slight knock.