Cole sidelined 'at least a month'
Tuesday, October 4, 2005
Article summary
Arsenal FC's England left-back Ashley Cole will miss key games for club and country after suffering a stress fracture of his right foot.
Article body
Month's absence
Cole has had to withdraw from the England squad to play Austria and Poland in their final Group 6 qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The 24-year-old faces a month on the sidelines, and is also likely to sit out Arsenal's next two UEFA Champions League matches – away and home to AC Sparta Praha on 18 October and 2 November.
'Best in the world'
The bad news was broken by England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, who told a press conference on Tuesday: "They took a scan and he has a stress fracture on his foot. He will probably be out for a month at least. It is a pity to lose him because Ashley Cole is maybe the best left-back in the world."
