Robert Pires has opted to have an operation on his cruciate ligaments after doctors yesterday revealed the injury wasn't reacting as well as expected to treatment. Pires visited sports injury specialist Jean Pierre Franceschi in Marseille, who said that the operation would be the better option even though he wasn't far from avoiding the need.
He told L'Equipe, "What is incredible is that I am perfectly able to run, if I was asked to run 10 kilometres, I could do it without any problem. As far as the flexibility is concerned my injured knee reacts almost as well as the normal one. But the professor told me there is no guarantee it will not break in two months time so I decided not to take any risk."
Pires was due to star for France at this year's World Cup before he injured his cruciate knee ligament during Arsenal's 3-2 win over Newcastle on March 23. But if there is any disappointment he wasn't showing it saying, "For me it has always been clear, and I am not disappointed at all, I have known for three weeks that I have no chance to go to the World Cup. I accepted that fact because I know there are far more important things in life. And my career will not be stopped forever because of that injury."
Filed by Johnny Proby
