 |
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Man U shorthanded Scholes, Irwin doubtful for FIFA tournament in Brazil
Posted: Thursday December 30, 1999 03:17 PM
MANCHESTER, England (AP) -- Paul Scholes and Dennis Irwin, two key players in Manchester United's Champions League and Premier League triumphs last season, look like they will miss next week's visit to Brazil for the inaugural FIFA Club World Championship. Scholes, an England international forward, is long overdue for surgery to cure a hernia problem and limped out of Sunday's game against Bradford, while Irish fullback Irwin picked up a groin injury in Tuesday's 2-2 tie at Sunderland. The United players reassemble on Friday after a two-day break, and manager Alex Ferguson will assess the fitness of the two injured stars. Because of the tournament in Brazil, United is not in Premier League action until Jan. 24 and has controversially dropped out of the FA Cup and Ferguson may decide to send Scholes for his postponed operation and rest Irwin during the same period. "I don't know if [Scholes] will be right," Ferguson said. "The players are off now until Friday so we'll see him then and see how he is. "It was such a heavy pitch on Sunday that it was bound to take it out of the players, and if you've got a hernia problem then playing these kind of fixtures makes it difficult." Sitting a point behind Leeds in the Premier League and also in the last 16 of the Champions League -- which resumes at the end of February -- Manchester United will need both players fit for the second half of the season. In Brazil, United will be up against Real Madrid, Brazilian clubs Vasco da Gama and Corinthians, Mexico's Necaxa, Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia, Morocco's Raja and South Melbourne of Australia.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
