Rosicky to miss Euro 2008
by Ciaran Baynes, 09 May 2008
Czech Republic captain Tomas Rosicky will miss the European Championships after it was decided he could not avoid surgery before returning to action following the hamstring injury he suffered in January.
The Czech playmaker was flourishing in the Arsenal midfield before pulling up in The Gunners' FA Cup fourth round tie against Newcastle.
The move will be particularly disappointing as Rosicky was a key figure in their superb Euro 2004 campaign when they were for many the best team in the tournament before their semi-final defeat to Greece.
This will leave a headache for his national coach Karel Bruckner who is now likely to step up his attempts to persuade the country's best-ever player Pavel Nedved back into the fold.
The 35-year-old playmaker has suggested he will retire after helping Juventus to third place in the Serie A but has intimated that he would consider returning for one last hurrah.