Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo suffered a pre-World Cup injury scare when he sustained a calf injury.
The AC Milan player is resting after damaging the calf muscle in his left leg during the Azzurri's 2-1 friendly loss to Mexico on Thursday night.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) have confirmed that Pirlo, who will sit out Saturday's friendly against Switzerland, will fly to South Africa with the rest of the squad on June 8 and continue to undergo evaluation ahead of Italy's opener against Paraguay on June 14.
Italy's team doctor Enrico Castellacci also said the recovery time for such injuries is between 15 to 20 days, meaning Pirlo could be fit for Italy's second group match against New Zealand on June 20.
Coach Marcello Lippi is already uncertain over the fitness of winger Mauro Camoranesi, who has a knee injury, and the loss of Pirlo could prove a severe blow to the holders.
Pirlo was named man of the match in the 2006 World Cup final against France and landed Italy's first goal of that tournament against Ghana.
Source: Sporting Life
No comments:
Post a Comment