Dutch Injury Woe

Dutch midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart will have a second operation on his injured ankle this week, putting his World Cup place in jeopardy. Hamburg and international team-mate Nigel de Jong also faces time on the sidelines as he receives treatment on a knee injury. National manager Marco van Basten now faces the prospect of losing a number of his proposed World Cup squad for the summer.

Having already named his provisional squad of thirty for the summer tournament in Germany, at least three of that number are in danger of missing the trip.Both Van der Vaart and De Jong play in the Bundesliga for Hamburg and now face anything up to four weeks of recovery work after they face visits to hospital for the necessary surgery.

On top of this, Ajax's Hedwiges Madero injured an ankle during their 4-2 win over Feyenoord on Sunday and will also be out for up to a month. While it is not inconceivable that all could be ready for the World Cup in Germany, starting on 9 June, a lack of match fitness will be a major concern for Van Basten as he slims his squad from 30 down to 23.