Struggling pair give Turkey grief
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Article summary
Injuries to defenders Servet Çetin and Gökhan Gönül represented a "very unpleasant surprise" for Turkey coach Fatih Terim with UEFA EURO 2008™ approaching.
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Galatasaray AS centre-back Servet picked up a groin injury five minutes from the end of the season, leaving the pitch during his side's final league game against Gençlerbirliği Oftaşspor. Scans revealed the injury to be worse than feared, but unwilling to rule him out of this summer's tournament altogether, Turkey coach Fatih Terim has put Servet's club-mate Emre Güngör on standby.
Foot injury
Adding to his concerns, Terim must also contend with the potential loss of Fenerbahçe SK right-back Gökhan Gönül, who has been forced to miss training with a foot injury. The 23-year-old joins goalkeeper Volkan Demirel in the treatment room, prompting Terim to curse his luck. "We are in Antalya to relax, not for training," he said from the Turkish coastal resort. "However, it is sad to see my players getting injured before we even start training. Volkan Demirel and Servet Çetin's groin injury were bad enough but Gökhan Gönül's injury was a very unpleasant surprise."
Final announcement
The veteran trainer will make a final decision on Gökhan Gönül in the next few days, depending on the pace of the player's recovery. He must announce his final 23-man squad for Austria and Switzerland on 28 May. The youngster would be a considerable loss as he has arguably been Turkey's best newcomer on the international stage for some time. Servet would also be missed given his courageous displays and status as a fans' favourite. The 27-year-old has a knack for scoring crucial goals as well, including the equaliser in Turkey's 2-2 draw with Malta in qualifying.