25 September 2007, by Sean Gillen

Jorge Andrade ‘inconsolable’ after suffering more injury woe

Portugal defender hit with another serious knee injury

Juventus have confirmed that Portuguese defender Jorge Andrade has suffered a broken kneecap, and will be out of action for a considerable period.

The 29-year-old, who arrived in Turin this summer from Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna, went down during the second half of Juve’s 2-2 draw with Roma on Sunday afternoon.

A visibly distraught Andrade was clearly concerned at the damage done to his knee, having missed last summer’s World Cup with a serious knee ligament injury.

Following the match, Bianconeri boss Claudio Ranieri said: “I’m worried that he’s broken his left knee ligament. He’s had this injury before. He caught his studs in the turf and his leg snapped back. He is inconsolable.”

A medical statement on the Juventus website read:

“Jorge Andrade, after spending the night at the Fornaca clinic, underwent Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and X-ray tests to diagnose the left knee injury suffered in Rome.

“These tests, carried out by Professor Carlo Faletti, showed that the patella bone is shattered. Therefore surgery will be needed to repair the bone and to review the condition of the kneecap tendon, which was operated on two years ago.

“The abovementioned situation appears less serious than previously thought, but the player will still be unavailable for a long period of time.”

Andrade’s target will be to get fit well before Euro 2008 next summer so as to avoid missing a second major tournament for Portugal.


Related: Jorge Andrade profile