[D-Kin]

Season over for Pozzi Monday 18 February, 2008

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As feared, Empoli striker Nicola Pozzi will be out for the rest of the season after snapping the cruciate ligament in his knee yesterday.

One of the key men in Empoli’s bid to avoid the drop, Pozzi injured himself while completing his brace in a 3-1 win over Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo and will be out for at least six months.

Pozzi sustained a similar injury at the San Paolo when playing for Napoli back in 2004 and is now travelling to Belgium to undergo surgery with the same doctor.

“I wanted to help Empoli to survival, but unfortunately that’s the way it goes,” the deflated marksman said ruefully.

“It was a brief but intense season. It will be hard, but I will return like I did when I was at Napoli.

“I can’t wait to get back to work in Empoli so that I can be close to my teammates while they fight to stay up.”

It is an especially bitter blow for the 21-year-old who had looked likely to command a place in Pierluigi Casiraghi’s squad for the Olympics in Beijing this summer.

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