Russia striker Pimenov undergoes knee surgery

Updated: Wednesday July 03, 2002 04:46 p.m. ET

MOSCOW, July 3 (Reuters) - Russia striker Ruslan Pimenov hopes to resume playing in three weeks after undergoing knee surgery on Wednesday.

"Today he underwent an operation in Germany to remove a meniscus in his right knee," Lokomotiv Moscow doctor Alexander Yardashvili told Reuters. "It turned out a successful one and he hopes to resume playing in three weeks."

The 20-year-old injured his knee in a World Cup first-round match against co-hosts Japan on June 9, which Russia lost 1-0.

Lokomotiv coach Yuri Syomin said they have already missed their leading scorer.

"We'll need a healthy Pimenov in our drive for the Russian championship as well as for the Champions League campaign," Syomin said following Lokomotiv's 0-0 draw against Russian premier league strugglers Anji Makhachkala on Monday.

Lokomotiv have a two-point lead over city rivals CSKA at the top of the league standings.

Copyright 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.