Juve Doctors Are Trying To Rush Me, Says Tudor
Friday 1st February 2002
Juventus midfielder Igor Tudor has insisted he needs more time to recover from an ankle injury, despite club claims that he will be fit to face AC Milan on Wednesday.
Tudor has been out of action since Juve's Champions' League defeat by Arsenal in November. Coach Marcello Lippi originally targeted Sunday's clash with Lecce as a suitable comeback date, but a setback in training put paid to that.
"I did full training for the first time in two months on Wednesday," explained Tudor. "Everything was great in the first 60 minutes, but then I felt a pain. The doctors decided I needed more rest. It's not good to push when I am feeling pain."
Medical staff later revealed Tudor would be ready to line up against Milan in next week's Coppa Italia semi-final, but Tudor retorted on Friday: "I do not think it would be good for me to play that game. Until the pain stops, I don't want to risk anything."
Tudor added that he would probably also miss Croatia's friendly against Bulgaria on February 13. "I spoke with coach Mirko Jozic and we decided that I will join the squad in Rijeka, but I don't think I will play," he said.
"I am just happy that I will see my friends, players from the national team. In the meantime, I am living with ice on my leg every evening from 6pm until 2am."
