Adebayor faces short lay-off
05 Nov 2008 - 15:30:12
Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor's ankle injury is expected to keep him sidelined for the next three weeks.
The Togo international sustained the problem in Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Stoke City when he was tackled by Ryan Shawcross, one of the incidents that angered Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.
However, Theo Walcott, who injured a shoulder in the same game after being fouled by Rory Delap, could return to action for Saturday's match with Manchester United.
Wenger said: "Adebayor will be out for three weeks. Walcott could be days or weeks. It is the shoulder he had the surgery on."
The Arsenal boss had earlier launched a furious tirade about the over-physical treatment his players were subjected to at the Britannia Stadium.
He had said: "I read that my team were not brave. All I can say is they are brave and, for me, you need to have more courage to play football when you know that someone is tackling you from behind without any intention to play the ball.
"The only intention is to hurt you and I can show some tackles where I can prove what I say. The one who is tackling is not the brave one. For me the brave one is the player who is trying to play football.
"Do you think (Rory) Delap tried to play the ball when he tackled Walcott? Or that (Ryan) Shawcross tried to play the ball when he tackled Adebayor off the pitch. All the players have been injured deliberately.
"I am not ready to listen to things that are completely untrue and make people who are cowards, for me, look brave."