JOHN TERRY’S next meeting with Rio Ferdinand may not be until the immediate build-up for this summer’s European Championship after the Chelsea defender was ruled out of England’s friendly with Holland because he needs a knee operation that will sideline him for up to two months.
The deterioration in Terry’s knee represents a significant setback for Chelsea’s hopes of improving their results in the Premier League and will also have ramifications for England, starting with him missing Stuart Pearce’s first game as temporary manager.
For him it will make the job of replacing Fabio Capello considerably easier, at least in a political sense, but merely puts on hold the issue of whether Terry and Ferdinand can put aside their differences to re-establish a central-defensive partnership.
Terry is to stand trial at Westminster magistrates court on July 9th for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, Rio’s younger brother, when Chelsea played at QPR in October. Terry denies the alleged abuse. The case has been threatening to divide the England squad and those issues may not be addressed until the following game in Norway on May 26th, a fortnight before the start of Euro 2012.
If Terry and Ferdinand are fit, whoever is in charge – almost certainly Harry Redknapp – will have to consider whether it is workable to include both players when their relationship is so damaged and potentially divisive.
Terry damaged the knee on impact with a post in Chelsea’s FA Cup third-round victory over Portsmouth. The 31-year-old travelled with the squad for last night’s Champions League tie in Naples but it quickly became apparent when he tried to train on Monday that his condition had worsened. He has a small piece of bone floating in his knee and will undergo surgery once they arrive back in London.
Terry may miss around a dozen matches for Chelsea and may now regret playing through the injury before the pain became too much. In particular he was determined to be involved in the FA Cup tie at QPR on January 28th, despite reservations within the club.
For England the loss is not so crucial for now, with a variety of other options including Joleon Lescott, Gary Cahill and Chris Smalling available. Terry’s absence also takes away the possibility of the kind of issues that were evident before the last two games, when several players cold-shouldered the Chelsea captain.
Meanwhile, Stan Kroenke, the Arsenal majority shareholder, is to reaffirm his support for Arsene Wenger at a board meeting to be held tomorrow as the club seeks to address the implications of recent setbacks and to define a strategy for the longer term.
The American will fly to England today as the club prepare to announce their half-yearly accounts. The figures will reveal profits of around £65 million, money that Wenger could spend on team strengthening this summer, though that amount would have to include transfer fees and wages. Kroenke will arrive with recent disappointments still raw and small shareholders, represented by the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust, demanding greater engagement from Kroenke.
Guardian Service
