Gourcuff out for months with knee injury
Reuters - Monday 20 August 2012, 15:44
Olympique Lyon playmaker Yoann
Gourcuff will be sidelined for up to three months after injuring
his left knee during the Ligue 1 game against Troyes at the
weekend, the club said on Monday.
The 26-year-old, who has been battling with injuries since
he joined Lyon in 2010, tore the internal lateral ligament of
his knee after six minutes when he collided with Troyes
midfielder Benjamin Nivet on Saturday.
"He will be out for six weeks to three months, depending on
how he recovers from his injury," Lyon said in a statement.
Gourcuff, who has 29 caps for France, played only 13 league
matches with Lyon last season and failed to make the squad for
France's Euro 2012 campaign.
He had looked on track to recover the form which helped him
become the key player in Girondins Bordeaux's conquest of the
French title in 2009.
He was named man of the match at the Champions Trophy when
Lyon beat Montpellier on penalties last month to claim the
season's first title. Gourcuff then scored the only goal in
Lyon's opening Ligue 1 victory at Stade Rennes a week ago.
Lyon, who will not feature in the Champions League this term
for the first time since 2000 after last season's fourth-place
finish, top the Ligue 1 table with six points from two games -
ahead of three other teams on goal difference.