Injury Blow for Saha

By Chris O'Brien
November 30 2004

A disappointing first year as a Red Devil for Louis Saha has ended in further anguish. The Frenchman will be injured for the whole of December with knee trouble he picked up whilst on international duty with France.

Manchester United have been hit with an injury blow ahead of a month that could decide the destiny of the Red Devils’ season. Strike Louis Saha will be out of action until the New Year with a knee injury, further hampering his chances of regular first-team football this term.

Saha picked up the knock whilst on international duty with France a fortnight ago. The French disappointed in a 0-0 draw, and Saha will now be unavailable for over a month after getting injured with the Frogs.

It seems a long time ago that Saha made a controversial £12million from fellow Premiership side Fulham. After weeks of tedious negotiations and false press reports, Saha signed on the dotted line and was touted to be the man who partner Van Nistelrooy in one of Europe’s most prolific strike partnerships. This has not been the case.

The 26-year-old has been dogged with injury problems since his January move to Old Trafford. Also, high profile additions of Wayne Rooney and Alan Smith to the Manchester United frame have limited his first-team chances. As a result, Saha has been frustrated by a lack of first-team football and could get unsettled as a poor first year at United ends in further disappointment.

"New Year is about the right assessment," confirmed United boss Sir Alex Ferguson. "I think he should be available then. It’s unfortunate."

The Scotsman went on to announce that all of Saha’s serious injuries have been picked up whilst on international duty. Fergie would love it if Saha would retire early from international football, but frankly why should he? France, who have won the World Cup and European Championships over the past decade, have only recently started picking the forward and he has made no secret of what an honour it is for him.

"He's had a terrible time. Every injury has been with France," said Sir Alex. "He's not been injured with us at all. That gives us concerns about him going to play for France again. He’s been very unlucky. It’s unbelievable."