Source: Daily_Mail
Zhirkov in race to make Chelsea opener after struggling to shake off knee injury
Chelsea's £18million new boy Yuri Zhirkov has withdrawn from international duty with Russia and is a doubt for the start of the season after revealing he is still not fit to train.
The 25-year-old marquee summer signing was forced to watch from the sidelines as a knee injury kept him out of Chelsea's Community Shield penalties over Manchester United on Sunday.
And he has now conceded he won't be fit to join up with Russia for Wednesday's showpiece friendly against Argentina in Moscow on Wednesday.
'I felt a sharp pain in my knee immediately after the match against Milan on the American tour,' Zhirkov told Russian newspaper Sport Express.
'There were problems with the knee after the game against Finland (in June), but they did not seem serious. However, pain suddenly pierced my left in the United States.
'As a result, I've only been running andswimming in the pool since.
'It's a shame that I can't train and evenmore of an insult that I cannot join up with the national team, but myknee is still sore and it is not clear when it will be possible to goback to work.
'I went to the Community Shield in England and touched the trophy, but I could not help my team. I hope that the treatment
won't take long.'
Arsenal's Andrey Arshavin and Tottenham Hotpur's Roman Pavlyuchenko are expected to start for Russia on Wednesday, while Liverpool's Javier Mascherano, Newcastle United's Jonas Gutierrez are in the Argentina squad.
Chelsea host Hull City in their Barclays Premier League opener at lunchtime on Saturday.
