Hip blow for Del Piero
Monday 11th December 2000
Just as he seemed to be returning to something approaching his form of old,
Juventus forward Alessandro del Piero has suffered a severe setback with the
news that he will be out for a month with a hip injury.
Del Piero limped out of Juve's 1-0 victory over Parma on Sunday, and tests
on Monday confirmed that the injury is serious.
The blow could considerably change Juve's plans for the future. The most
immediate effect is likely to be the postponement of Darko Kovacevic's �12.5
million move to Borussia Dortmund.
It also gives out of favour striker Filippo Inzaghi a chance to regain his
place in the team. He, though, had only sympathy for Del Piero. "I'm not
thinking about my position. I'm just thinking about Del Piero," he said.
Alex has suffered too much in his career with his terible injuroes, the
surgery and all the criticism."
Inzaghi will get his first chance in a friendly against city rivals Torino
on Tuesday. Torino director Sandro Mazzola is taking the game seriously,
despite its non-competitive status.
"A derby is always a derby," he said, "and I know about them after playing
against Milan for Inter. This will not be that friendly; I'm sure it will be
spectacular."
