Sand deserts Schalke opener
Monday, September 15, 2003
Article summary
Ebbe Sand will miss the start of FC Schalke 04's UEFA Cup campaign after injuring his right ankle.
Article body
Two weeks' absence
The 31-year-old striker suffered the injury during Saturday's 0-0 German Bundesliga draw with VfB Stuttgart and will be sidelined for two weeks. He will miss the first leg of his club's UEFA Cup first-round tie against Croatian side NK Kamen Ingrad on 25 September.
Replacement cup-tied
Eduard Glieder, on loan from Austrian side SV Pasching, is Sand's likely deputy after replacing him against Stuttgart. However, Glieder played for Pasching in the UEFA Intertoto Cup - including in their final defeat by Schalke - making him ineligible for the UEFA Cup.
Kamphuis blow
Meanwhile, Dutch defender Niels Oude Kamphuis will not be back from the groin injury he sustained in July for another five weeks. He said: "Stretching and sprints are a long way off. If I do too much now, a setback will mean an even longer break." Sand and Kamphuis are joined on the injury list by Anibal Matellan, Marco van Hoogdalem, Gustavo Varela, Jörg Böhme and Kristijan Djordjevic.
Delura deal
Better news for coach Jupp Heynckes is that 18-year-old striker Michael Delura has signed a professional contract with the club and will join Schalke's senior squad from the reserves, who play in the third division. Delura's deal runs until 2006.
