Wolfsburg s new German international signing Arne Friedrich revealed Wednesday he will undergo surgery on a herniated disc which will rule him out of action for up to three months.
Friedrich, a member of Germany s World Cup team which finished third in South AFrica, has been suffering from back problems since suffering a knock in training in early August.
We have tried to cure the pain, but everything indicates that only surgery will indefinitely resolve the problem, said Friedrich.
The 31-year-old joined the 2009 Bundesliga champions last month for two million euros after spending most of his career with relegated Hertha Berlin.
The 76-times capped centre back is also set to miss four of Germany s Euro 2012 qualifiers.
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LYON (AFP) – Lyon s injury-plagued Brazilian defender Cleber Anderson Beraldo has reached agreement to quit the French top flight club, his agent said on Thursday.
The 30-year-old is no longer under contract with the former French champions but has still not found a new club, his agent Marcelo Kiremidjian said.
Cleber Anderson arrived in Lyon in August 2007 from Benfica to fill in for compatriot Cris who had suffered a serious knee injury, but was himself sidelined several months later with a serious knee injury.
After his recovery he was loaned to Brazilian side FC Sao Paulo from June 2008 to January 2009 followed by five months at Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte.
He also suffered a calf injury and underwent surgery on his shoulder and did appear for Lyon at …
Chelsea s lacklustre start to the season reminds Jurgen Klopp of his final term at Borussia Dortmund.
Klopp led Dortmund to two Bundesliga titles and the 2012-13 Champions League final, but a dire start to the 2014-15 campaign saw them spend the mid-season break in the relegation zone.
And after Liverpool inflicted Chelsea s sixth defeat of the Premier League season with a 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, the German feels their ongoing malaise is reminiscent of the season which led to his resignation at the Signal Iduna Park.
However, Dortmund recovered to secure Europa League qualification and the Liverpool coach has backed Jose Mourinho to turn his side s season around too.
Of course I feel for him, it s normal. He is a great coach I don t th…
Championship side Middlesbrough have signed goalkeeper Tomas Meijas Osorio on loan from Real Madrid for the rest of the season, .
The 25 year old, who has been capped by Spain at U19 and U20 level, has spent most of his career playing for the Spanish giants B and C teams, making his only first team appearance as a late substitute for Adan in a 4-0 win over Getafe in La Liga under Jose Mourinho in at the end of the 2010/11 campaign.
An approach for the shot-stopper was made on transfer deadline day, but the North East side had to wait for international clearance.
He will provide competition for England U21 keeper Jason Steele and Shay Given, who is currently at the Riverside Stadium on loan from Aston Villa.
The latter has kept three consecutive clean…
Real Madrid earned €88.6million for their Champions League triumph against Liverpool, UEFA has announced.
Madrid beat Jurgen Klopp s side 3-1 in Kiev in May thanks to a double from Gareth Bale, while Reds goalkeeper Loris Karius made two bad errors in the final.
Zinedine Zidane claimed the trophy for the third year in a row before surprisingly announcing his resignation as Madrid coach.
Liverpool collected €11m for reaching the final and €81.2m in total, while Madrid banked €15.5m from their success in Ukraine.
In the Europa League, winners Atletico Madrid received a total of €16.1m while beaten finalists Marseille were paid €23m following their impressive run in the tournament.
LaLiga side Atletico also picked up €31.7m for the…
Maurizio Sarri is said to be plotting a January raid on his former club Napoli.
Having already snatched Jorginho during the summer transfer window, the Italian mastermind is looking at Elseid Hysaj who’s been identified as the Blues’ top transfer target this winter.
The Albanian was already heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge a couple of months ago but eventually remained with the Partenopei.
The Blues boss did not drop his interest in the 24-year-old and will return with another offer this winter, The Sun suggests. It is being reported that a bid in the region of £20 is currently being prepared for the defender.
Hysaj has been a Napoli mainstay this season, making 14 out of possible 15 Serie A appearances.
The Albania right-back�…
West Ham United are interested in signing Etienne Green from Saint-Etienne in the summer of 2022, according to . It has been reported that West Ham are among a number of clubs monitoring the situation of the England Under-21 international goalkeeper. London and Premier League rivals Tottenham are also keen.
Green has just signed a new contract with Ligue 1 club Saint-Etienne and is in line to make his debut for the senior England squad. The 21-year-old stands at 6ft 4in and has huge potential.
Łukasz Fabiański has been the first-choice goalkeeper at West Ham for a number of years now. The Hammers signed Alphonse Areola on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2021. If West Ham do not make Areola’s loan deal permanent, then it would make sense for the London…
Pep Guardiola was delighted with the fighting spirit his Manchester City team showed as they edged past Burnley 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
City had won their previous four home games against Burnley 5-0, but the visitors caused Guardiola s men some problems after Bernardo Silva opened the scoring.
That was Silva s seventh goal involvement against Burnley in eight Premier League outings – his most against any one opponent – but did not trigger the sort of landslide scoreline that was anticipated.
However, Kevin De Bruyne scored in a second consecutive City match 20 minutes from time to secure a ninth straight victory over Burnley in all competitions.
Although City now have six clean sheets in eight league games this season and struggling Burnley are wi…
The catch-22 of Everton s hosting of Manchester City is not lost on Roberto Martinez, but he insisted they will be doing everything to win.
The Europe-chasing Everton can pave the way for bitter rivals Liverpool to win an elusive Premier League title by taking points away from City, who are in the box seat to win their second premiership in three years.
Anything but a victory for Martinez s Everton would rule them out of UEFA Champions League contention, although an Arsenal win over West Bromwich Albion on Sunday would end Everton s hopes regardless.
Four points separates Arsenal (fourth) from Everton, with the latter not yet assured of a UEFA Europa League spot, with Tottenham lurking three points back in sixth.
And Martinez said their own predicament is exactly…
Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has targeted his side s first match at the FIFA World Cup against Portugal as pivotal to their hopes.
Joachim Low s side began the 2010 World Cup in stunning fashion with a 4-0 win over Australia.
That set the tone for their campaign, which ultimately saw them finish third and was highlighted by their dismantling of both England and Argentina in the knock-out stages.
A similarly fast start is crucial, according to Neuer, who will be tasked with keeping out the likes of FIFA Ballon d Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo in the clash.
Neuer told Bayern s official website: I think it s important to make a good start, hopefully with a win.
It gives us power for the games to come. The first match is the first final, everything s on the lin…