Van Nistelrooy laid low by ankle blow
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
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Real Madrid CF striker Ruud van Nistelrooy will miss the Netherlands friendly against Croatia on Wednesday as he is on crutches after suffering an injured ankle.
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Real Madrid CF striker Ruud van Nistelrooy will miss the Netherlands friendly against Croatia in Split on Wednesday after the Spanish club revealed he had suffered an ankle injury in their 2-0 defeat by UD Almería in the Primera División on Saturday night.
On crutches
Madrid said that the 31-year-old was on crutches after limping off at half-time in last night's game and would not travel to his country's match against their fellow UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifiers. Van Nistelrooy has scored 12 goals in 19 league games this season for the Spanish champions and has found the net 30 times for his country in 59 international appearances. Dutch coach Marco van Basten will also be without Orlando Engelaar and Clarence Seedorf due to knee and ankle injuries, respectively. The Netherlands will face Italy, France and Romania in a tough-looking Group C at this summer's tournament in Switzerland and Austria.
