New setback for Sevilla's Navarro

Sevilla FC have revealed that in addition to the thigh injury Javi Navarro suffered in November the defender also has a problem with his right knee which is more serious than was first thought.

New diagnosis
The 31-year-old has not played since his dismissal against Real Betis Balompié in the Primera División on 19 November, with the club doctors announcing six weeks ago that Navarro had sustained a thigh injury. The diagnosis has now changed, however, as Sevilla coach Juande Ramos said during a press conference on Wednesday that the player also has a cyst on his right knee which is causing a lot of pain and swelling. Juan de Dios Beas, the Spanish club's head doctor, said: "Navarro is having problems with his right knee but it has never played up before. We have ruled out surgery and we want to wait to see how it evolves."

'My own fault'
No date has yet been set for the defender's comeback, with Sevilla planning to examine Navarro on a regular basis and let the player himself decide when he is ready to return to action. "It's my fault for not having revealed it earlier, but I hadn't given it much importance," said Navarro. "I didn't want to say that I had another injury as well as [thigh problem]. I thought that by the time I got back from the holidays everything would be in good condition but it hurts and now I have to pay it more attention than I did back then." The Spanish side face FC Lokomotiv Moskva in the UEFA Cup Round of 32.