Quaresma faces lengthy lay-off

FC Barcelona's Portuguese winger Ricardo Quaresma will miss the rest of the Primera División season and this month's UEFA European Under-21 Championship after breaking a bone in his right foot during his side's 4-1 victory over RCD Espanyol on Sunday.

Lengthy lay-off
The 20-year-old, who had only a slim chance of earning a place in coach Luiz Felipe Scolari's Portugal squad for UEFA EURO 2004™, is expected to be out of action for between two and three months after injuring his foot in a tackle by Espanyol's Pierre Wome after coming on as a late substitute at the Camp Nou.

Young hope
Quaresma is one of Portugal's brightest young talents and a regular for the U21 side. He made his only senior appearance to date against Bolivia in June last year but has since faced stiff competition for a place from the in-form Simão Sabrosa and Cristiano Ronaldo.

'A big loss'
Portugal open their U-21 finals campaign against Sweden in Mannheim on 28 May and his absence will be sorely felt, according to coach José Romão. "Ricardo Quaresma’s injury is a big loss for any national team," said the coach, who added: "We were counting on Quaresma as he is a great Portuguese talent."