Del Piero Out for Remainder of Season
Posted: Friday November 13, 1998 02:01 PM
TURIN, Italy (AP) -- Juventus forward Alessandro Del Piero will miss the remainder of the Italian season with a torn a ligament in his left knee that will require surgery in about two weeks, the club announced Friday.
Juventus made the announcement following examinations by a French specialist Pierre Chambat in Lyon, where he confirmed the "worst expectations."
Del Piero injured the knee in a collision with an Udinese defender in last Sunday's league match, delivering a sever blow to Juventus' hopes of a third consecutive "scudetto" or Italian league title.
The Turin club, which is owned by the Agnelli family of auto tycoons, is expected to possibly sign a new forward when the transfer market re-opens in January.
The injury capped an unlucky year for Del Piero, one of the more creative and popular Italian strikers.
He pulled a muscle in the Champions Cup final lost by Juventus to Real Madrid in May and had a streak of unimpressive performances with Italy in the World Cup.
Club officials said Del Piero will undergo surgery by the end of November at an undisclosed clinic.
