Hip surgery lays Frei low
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Article summary
Switzerland captain Alexander Frei will miss the friendlies against Argentina and the Netherlands as he needs four months to overcome hip surgery.
Article body
Switzerland captain Alexander Frei will be out of action for around four months after undergoing surgery on his hip joint.
Top scorer
The 29-year-old, BV Borussia Dortmund's top scorer this season with 16 goals from 32 league games, had a two-hour operation today after finding the movement in his hip restricted in recent weeks. Frei will require a few more days in hospital before being released and is then expected to take another four months to fully recover from the operation.
Recovery period
Destined to miss Dortmund's last game of the season, Frei will also be unavailable for the UEFA EURO 2008™ co-hosts' friendly games against Argentina on 2 June and the Netherlands on 22 August. He is also a doubt for the four-nation tournament in Austria in September, regarded as a dress rehearsal for next summer's finals, and the start of the 2007/08 Bundesliga season.