Achilles injury accounts for Russia's Kokorin
Friday, May 31, 2013
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Russia have received a setback with the news that forward Aleksandr Kokorin, due to join from the senior squad next week, will miss the finals due to an Achilles injury.
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Aleksandr Kokorin has withdrawn from the Russia squad for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals, which start in Israel on Wednesday, because of an Achilles tendon injury.
The FC Dinamo Moskva striker was named in Nikolai Pisarev's 23-man party even though he was going to miss Russia's tournament opener against holders Spain on 6 June owing to his involvement with the seniors, who face Portugal in a FIFA World Cup qualifier a day later.
However, the 22-year-old broke down while training with Fabio Capello's team in Moscow on Friday. Kokorin returned to action for his club on 11 May following almost three weeks out, but the injury has not healed sufficiently and he now faces an as yet undetermined period on the sidelines.
No replacement has been named for Kokorin, who made one substitute appearance at UEFA EURO 2012 and scored five goals in three U21 qualifying outings, in either squad.
