Rosicky out of Euro 2008

Gunners star requires surgery

By Vasek Kadlec   Last updated: 9th May 2008

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Czech Republic captain Tomas Rosicky will miss Euro 2008 as he requires surgery on his injured hamstring.

Rosicky has been struggling with the problem for some time and he has not played since Arsenal's FA Cup win over Newcastle in January.

The 27-year-old had been hoping to recover in time for this summer's finals in Austria and Switzerland, but he has forced to admit defeat in his battle to be fit.

Surgery

"I must announce that I will not be capable of playing at Euro 2008. My injury requires surgery which I will undergo at the start of next week," Rosicky told CTK.

"There is no other solution to the problem than undergoing surgery."

The news is a major blow for the Czechs ahead of next month's finals, with Rosicky being the leader of the side following the retirement of Pavel Nedved.

It means Czech coach Karel Bruckner could step up his attempts to persuade Nedved to come out of retirement to replace Rosicky.