Trezeguet delays French return
Monday, September 30, 2002
Article summary
David Trezeguet has ruled himself out of France's next two EURO 2004™ qualifiers.
Article body
Juventus FC striker David Trezeguet has ruled himself out of France's next two EURO 2004™ qualifiers against Slovenia and Malta.
Two months out
The forward, who made his return for Juventus as a substitute in last week's 5-0 defeat of FC Dynamo Kyiv in the UEFA Champions League, has been out of action for two months with a knee injury. Although he has another two games for Juventus before the French squad will gather, he believes he will not be ready in time.
'Not enough time'
"I've resumed playing for my club," Trezeguet said. "But to play in an international match you must at your best. If I have to play for France I want to be at my very best and there won't be enough time for me before the next match."
Winning start
France host Slovenia on 12 October and visit Malta four days later. They began their UEFA European Championship defence with a winning start by earning a 2-1 away victory in Cyprus last month. Coach Jacques Santini could also be without AJ Auxerre forward Djibril Cissé for the two games because of a foot injury.
