Woodgate To See Top Medical Specialists

By Matthew Jones
May 2 2004

Centre-back Jonathon Woodgate will be sent to see top medical specialists in the summer as he seeks to bring a new lease of life to his injury-prone career.

After joining Newcastle for £9m back in January 2003, Woodgate has only appeared 28 times in the Premiership and will also miss Euro 2004 due to a torn thigh muscle which occured in the game against Chelsea at St James' Park.

Robson is gutted obviously, and told the Sunday Mirror:

"We need to find out why it is that Jonathan plays so few games and then breaks down.

"He played against Marseille, had the next day off - like all the players - then came in the following morning and was sore and stiff as a board.

"I said to him, 'I'm 71, you're 23 and I've got more flexibility than you have!'

"But we need to find out just why he is like this. We need to do some research on him.''

He added:

"In the summer we will talk to experts in this area who will hopefully indicate to us what we have to do to improve him.

"And we have to improve him. Eighteen games a season is no good to us - it's less than half a season.

"England's loss this summer could be our gain. We have to examine him and sort this out.

"It will be to England's benefit as much as Newcastle's if we can do that."