Agius out until the summer

Valletta FC and Malta international Gilbert Agius will miss the rest of the season after undergoing groin surgery.

Three-month lay-off
The 28-year-old midfield player will be out for at least three months after going under the knife in Belgium and will miss his club's remaining Maltese Premier League fixtures. The 75-times capped international will also be unavailable for Malta's forthcoming EURO2004™ Group 1 qualifiers against France next month, Slovenia in April and possibly even Cyprus next June.

Major setback
The news is a major setback for both Malta and Agius' club side, who have recently lost the services of fellow international Daniel Bogdanovic, who signed a two-and-a-half year contract with Bulgarian Premier League outfit PFC Cherno More Varna.