By Chris Burton Last updated: 7th July 2008
Ronaldo: Dutch surgery
Cristiano Ronaldo will undergo surgery on his problematic right ankle on Monday.
The Manchester United ace is set to have the operation in Amsterdam in an attempt to cure an injury which has been causing him pain for some time.
The Portuguese superstar had initially delayed going under knife in order to go on holiday following his exploits at Euro 2008, but has accepted that it has now become a necessity.
United had hoped that the winger would be able to recover from the knock without the need for surgery, but have been given no further option.
The news that the 23-year-old will be sidelined throughout their pre-season preparations will come as a major blow to the club, especially as Real Madrid's interest in the player continues to linger on.
Having Ronaldo back in England, and back in the first-team fold, would have allowed Sir Alex Ferguson to delve deeper into the forward's motives this summer.
However, the procedure is expected to keep him out of action for up to six weeks, taking him through to a week before the start of the 2008/09 season.
A spokesman for the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam, where the operation will take place, confirmed that Ronaldo had arrived at the hospital and that he would likely be allowed home on Tuesday.
"He should be operated on this morning (Monday) or maybe at the moment as we speak, I'm not sure exactly," Johan Kortenray told L'Equipe.
"He arrived here yesterday evening to be examined. He'll be able to return home tomorrow."
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Saturday 30th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Bolton vs West Brom |
| 15:00 | Everton vs Portsmouth |
| 15:00 | Hull vs Wigan |
| 15:00 | Middlesbrough vs Stoke |
| 15:00 | West Ham vs Blackburn |
| 17:30 | Arsenal vs Newcastle |
| Sunday 31st August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 13:30 | Chelsea vs Tottenham |
| 15:00 | Sunderland vs Man City |
| 16:00 | Aston Villa vs Liverpool |
| Saturday 13th September | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 12:45 | Liverpool vs Man Utd |
| 15:00 | Blackburn vs Arsenal |
| 15:00 | Fulham vs Bolton |
| 15:00 | Newcastle vs Hull |
| 15:00 | Portsmouth vs Middlesbrough |
| 15:00 | West Brom vs West Ham |
| 15:00 | Wigan vs Sunderland |
| 17:30 | Man City vs Chelsea |
| Sunday 14th September | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 13:30 | Stoke vs Everton |
| Monday 15th September | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 20:00 | Tottenham vs Aston Villa |
| Saturday 20th September | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 12:00 | Sunderland vs Middlesbrough |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Monday 25th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Portsmouth 0 - 1 Man Utd | |
| Sunday 24th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man City 3 - 0 West Ham | |
| Wigan 0 - 1 Chelsea | |
| Saturday 23rd August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Fulham 1 - 0 Arsenal | |
| Newcastle 1 - 0 Bolton | |
| Liverpool 2 - 1 Middlesbrough | |
| Stoke 3 - 2 Aston Villa | |
| West Brom 1 - 2 Everton | |
| Tottenham 1 - 2 Sunderland | |
| Blackburn 1 - 1 Hull | |
| Sunday 17th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man Utd 1 - 1 Newcastle | |
| Aston Villa 4 - 2 Man City | |
| Chelsea 4 - 0 Portsmouth | |
| Saturday 16th August | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Sunderland 0 - 1 Liverpool | |
| Bolton 3 - 1 Stoke | |
| Middlesbrough 2 - 1 Tottenham | |
| Hull 2 - 1 Fulham | |
| Everton 2 - 3 Blackburn | |
| West Ham 2 - 1 Wigan | |
| Arsenal 1 - 0 West Brom | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 2 | 6 |
| 3 | Blackburn Rovers | 2 | 4 |
| 4 | Hull City | 2 | 4 |
| 5 | Manchester United | 2 | 4 |
| 6 | Newcastle United | 2 | 4 |
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