Arsenal F Eduardo to miss Euro 2008

Feb 24, 2008 - 9:02 PM By PA SportsTicker

Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva will be sidelined for the remainder of the season and also will miss Euro 2008 with a broken leg, the team announced Sunday.

One day before his 25th birthday, Eduardo insisted that he is "determined to overcome this injury."

The Croatian revealed he remembers little about the incident which saw him suffer a broken leg following a tackle by Martin Taylor during Arsenal's 2-2 draw with Birmingham on Saturday.

Taylor was immediately sent off following the incident in the third minute of the game at St. Andrews, provoking a ferocious response from Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who said the Birmingham defender should never play again

Wenger later retracted his heat-of-the-moment reaction.

"I don't remember the incident very well, and it is not something that I want to see again on television or in the newspapers," Eduardo told Arsenal's web site. "All I remember is that when I fell, I looked down at my foot and it had turned the other way. The rest is just a blank.

"It was an unfortunate situation, but these things can happen in football. I am unsure at the moment of the extent of the injury and how long I will be out of action for. But I know that I won't be able to play for Arsenal for the rest of the season or be ready in time for the Euros this summer."

Eduardo, who was beginning to establish himself on Arsenal's first team in recent weeks following a summer move from Dinamo Zagreb, was transferred Sunday from Birmingham's Selly Oak Hospital to an unnamed London hospital, where he will undergo further treatment.

"I would like to thank the medical team here at Arsenal for their efforts as well as the staff at Selly Oak Hospital who carried out the operation on Saturday night," he said. "Everyone there made me feel as comfortable as possible.

"I would also like to say how touched I am by the many messages of support I have received and to be surrounded by my loved ones at this time."

Eduardo's words came after friction between the two clubs during the last 24 hours, with Blues desperate to protect Taylor.

Birmingham defender Stephen Kelly believes the extent of Eduardo's horrific injury influenced referee Mike Dean's decision to red card Taylor during the Premier League clash.

Kelly also hit back at Wenger's original comments.

"I think Mr Wenger's (initial) comments after the game were so harsh," Kelly said. "That is disgraceful talk from Arsene Wenger. It is terrible. You know the way Martin is - he slid along the ground.

"He has gone in with one foot. You see players going in week in and week out, diving in with two feet, and lunging and that sort of thing is a disgraceful challenge."

Blues boss Alex McLeish is confident a "distraught" Taylor will be able to put the traumatic experience of inflicting the serious injury on Eduardo behind him.

"We will give Martin support," McLeish said. "Everyone here will support him. Most people in the game know Martin, and I am sure he will get the support of everyone else because he is hurting at the moment.

"I would like to think it wouldn't affect him. He has made the challenge, and Martin would always go for the ball honestly. Arsenal are feeling a bit angry about the whole thing at the moment, so we will let the dust die before we make any reasoned approaches to them."

However, Croatia captain Niko Kovac has blasted Taylor for the "brutality" of the tackle.

"I can't believe this happened," Kovac said. "Also, I can't believe such brutality still exists in football. I don't even want to speculate about the time of (Eduardo's) absence. Let's wait for the doctors to give their opinion."

Croatia manager Slaven Bilic also chimed in on the potential loss of one of his best players.

"This is horrible," Bilic said. "The fact he won't play at the Euros is less important - most important is that he recovers as soon as possible and resumes his footballing career."