Haidara injury less severe than first feared
Reuters - Friday 22 March 2013, 13:44
Newcastle United defender
Massadio Haidara should be fit to play again early next month after
escaping serious injury in a knee-high tackle by Wigan Athletic's
Callum McManaman that prompted widespread outrage.
The Premier League club said on their website that a scan had shown no significant bone or ligament damage to the player's leg.
"We are very pleased that the
extent of his injury is less severe than first feared and is limited to
bruising to the bone and soft tissue damage," Newcastle said.
"Depending on the speed of his recovery he should be fit to play again in early April."
The France Under-21 international will be assessed further in the coming days.
"He has been very lucky that he
has not suffered more serious injury and this positive diagnosis in no
way lessens the club's views with regard to the severity of the tackle
from which it resulted," the club added.
Haidara, who told a French
newspaper afterwards that he thought the tackle had ended his career,
had to be carried off on a stretcher on Sunday following the first-half
challenge.
Referee Mark Halsey missed the
incident and the FA said it would not take retrospective action against
McManaman, a decision Newcastle managing director Derek Llambias said
showed English football's disciplinary procedures were not fit for
purpose.
Wigan owner Dave Whelan caused
further criticism this week when he defended McManaman and described
the tackle as a 'fair challenge'.