ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE:A "DISTRAUGHT" Eduardo da Silva will miss the rest of the season due to the groin injury he sustained in a collision with Rio Ferdinand in Wednesday's first leg of the Champions League semi-final. While Ferdinand's bruised ribs may heal in time for him to line up for Manchester United at the Emirates on Tuesday, the Arsenal striker's already shortened season has come to an abrupt end.
The cruel blow is in keeping with the Croatian’s recent misfortunes and this, his third setback since returning in February from a broken leg, led the Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to describe him as the unluckiest player he has ever managed.
“It looks like, since he’s come back, just every single thing that can happen has happened to him,” said Wenger. “It’s just bad coincidences, like the guy who stands on the motorway and the lorry comes on the wrong side. He is really distraught.
We have had a few who have been down (with injuries) but this time I think it affected him a lot. The season is over for him, he’ll be out for three weeks, (it will be) three weeks after to come back to football competitiveness.”
That admission identifies Croatia’s World Cup qualifier against Ukraine on June 6th in Zagreb as a possible return to action for a player blighted by injuries since he broke his fibula and dislocated his left ankle against Birmingham City in February 2008.
Wednesday’s blow was the third injury the 26-year-old has sustained in just four games since his return to the Arsenal first team in February – his goal-scoring performance in the 3-0 FA Cup victory over Burnley in March was the only match he came through unscathed.
While Wenger admitted that over-zealous training may account for the hamstring strain that ruled him out for three weeks after his comeback game against Cardiff City and the previous groin injury he suffered against Roma in March, he described Wednesday’s injury as “purely accidental”.
“We watched it carefully again on the slow motion and in the incident he has absolutely no chance to escape. He is on the ground and Ferdinand falls on him with the knee on his groin and you see the groin going,” he said. “He turns his body completely but he has no chance to escape.”
Groin injuries also rule both centre-half Mikael Silvestre and top-scorer Robin van Persie out of today’s visit to Portsmouth, though both may feature against United on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Arsenal director Stan Kroenke has increased his stake in Arsenal to 28.3 per cent yesterday, the club confirmed.
The American businessman last year accepted an invitation to join the club’s board and yesterday his company bought 4,839 shares from members of the Carr family, including Arsenal director Richard Carr.
Carr said: “It has been a wonderful ride and the family have enjoyed every minute of it. I hope there will be many more magic moments for us in the future.”
A statement on the club’s official website read: “The shares were acquired at prices of £8,500 (€9,550) per share and £10,500 (€11,600) per share.
“As a result of the acquisition, Stan Kroenke has a beneficial interest in, and controls voting rights over 17,613 ordinary shares in the company, representing 28.3 per cent of the company’s issued ordinary shares.”
Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood said: “I would like to pay tribute to the long-standing commitment that the Carr family have shown towards Arsenal.
“The club are hugely indebted to them for the role that they have played in the development and success of the club over the years.
“The board particularly wish to thank Richard Carr for his hard work, effort and integrity since joining the board in 1981 and I am pleased to say Richard will continue on as a director of the club.”
Guardian Service
