Soccer:Damien Duff's participation in Ireland's crunch World Cup qualifier against Italy was placed in doubt today after his club Fulham said the winger will be ruled out for up to three weeks following the calf strain he picked in the defeat to Arsenal at the weekend.
Today’s scan results revealed the extent of Duff’s injury after he limped off nine minutes into the London derby.
It remains to be seen if Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni will still bring in Duff so he can be assessed by the FAI’s medical staff.
The manager’s injury worries are compounded after Aiden McGeady didn’t feature for Celtic over the weekend due to an ankle injury, though the Italian is confident he will be fit in time for the game against Italy.
Second placed Ireland are due to take on Group 8 leaders Italy at Croke Park on October 10th, followed by their final qualifier at home against Montenegro on Wednesday, October 14th.
Arsenal, meanwhile, will be without Brazilian midfielder Denilson for two months due to a small fracture in his back.
The talented 21-year-old had started four Premier League matches for the Gunners this season, scoring once. However, he will now spend up to eight weeks on the sidelines.
The Brazilian picked up the injury in the Gunners' 4-2 defeat against Manchester City earlier this month and scans revealed the severity of the problem.
The news of Denilson's injury follows the loss of Nicklas Bendtner for the Champions League match against Olympiakos after he was involved in a minor car accident.
