27 June 2006, by Tom Kundert

Ronaldo 80% certain of playing against England

Winger set to resume light training on Wednesday

Portugal’s national team doctor Henrique Jones is confident Cristiano Ronaldo will recover in time to face England in Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final.

“At the moment he has an 80 percent chance of playing on Saturday,” said Jones.

Ronaldo had to be substituted in the first half against Holland after suffering a bad foul early in the match.

Henrique Jones explained that the Manchester United winger had “a worrying amount of heavy bruising on his right thigh. A scan has revealed the extent of the damage.”

“If he had continued playing he would have risked significantly worsening the injury.”

Jones added that despite the fact that Ronaldo would require specific treatment twice a day up until Saturday, “I believe that he will be fit for the match.”

The team doctor also praised the “team spirit of an exceptionally strong and united squad,” saying that this would be an important factor in raising Ronaldo’s confidence levels and helping him make a speedy recovery.