Knee operation rules Jorge Andrade out of Euro 2008

Defender forced to miss second successive tournament

Portuguese defender Jorge Andrade is set to undergo another operation on his knee, ruling him out of contention for a place in Luiz Felipe Scolari’s plans for this summer’s European Championships.

The 29-year-old, who has 50 caps for his country, suffered a broken kneecap in September, just weeks into his new career at Italian giants Juventus, having made the switch from Spain’s Deportivo La Coruna over the summer.

Having initially been ruled out until well into the new year after damaging the same knee tendons he injured two years earlier while in Spain, Andrade always appeared unlikely to make his recovery in time to compete at this summer’s championships.

Now, after recently suffering further problems with the knee, Andrade will again go under the knife in Lisbon in the upcoming days, with surgeon Antonio Martins to carry out a third operation in the space of two years on the former Porto man.

It is a cruel blow for the Lisbon native – a likely starter alongside Ricardo Carvalho in central defence if fit – who also missed out on Portugal’s 2006 World Cup campaign in Germany with his last injury.