Carvalho and Ballack to miss FA Cup Final

Updated 09.10 Thu May 10 2007
Keywords: Premiership, Wembley, FA Cup Final, Manchester United, Jose Mourino, Chelsea, football, sport, Michael Ballack, Ricardo Carvalho

Ricardo Carvalho and Michael Ballack have been ruled out of the FA Cup Final by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.

After seeing his Blues play out a 0-0 draw with Manchester United in a dress rehersal for the Wembley showpiece, Mourinho reflected on his injury problems.

"Michael Ballack has 0 per cent chance of playing. Ricardo has 1 per cent chance" - Jose Mourinho

Midfielder Ballack has undergone surgery on his ankle in Germany and is back in training while defender Carvalho injured his knee against Bolton two weeks ago.

And Mourinho said of their chances of being fit for the first FA Cup Final back at Wembley in seven years: "Michael Ballack has 0 per cent chance of playing. Ricardo has 1 per cent chance."

The Portuguese has also rejected any suggestion that he had a problem with Ballack after he underwent surgery on his ankle in Germany, reportedly against the west London club's wishes: "Michael is injured. My relationship with injured players is nothing special. It is true. Injured players are for the medical department.

"I am the manager and I have to coach fit players - players who are ready to play. I remember about injured players and I have them in my mind, because I miss them. But my relationship with injured players is not a special one. I have to concentrate on the players ready to play."

However, one of the United Kingdom's leading arthroscopic surgeons believes that Ballack could yet be fit to face Sir Alex Ferguson's men as the Blues bid to add to their Carling Cup triumph at the end of February.

Simon Moyes, who operates out of the Wellington Hospital, said: "Footballers frequently suffer from a condition called footballer's ankle.

"This condition is easily missed if not very carefully looked for and would probably need an MRI scan to confirm the diagnosis.

"Footballers then need an arthroscopy of their ankle to remove the small fragment of bone and also normally at the same time the bone spurs are burred away to prevent the condition recurring.

"I suspect that it is this fragment that Mr Ballack has in a jar. He could have had the treatment here in London but he would probably have wished to have gone to Munich in view of his German links.

"In my experience patients can normally get back to contact sports following this surgery after three to six weeks and, therefore, having had the arthroscopy on April 28 he may just be fit for the FA Cup Final on May 19."

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