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Santa Cruz requires a rest

10 Oct 2007 - 09:59:18

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Blackburn Rovers striker Roque Santa Cruz has confirmed that he has been struggling with a knee injury for several weeks.

The 26-year-old former Bayern Munich frontman will miss Paraguay's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Uruguay, as he seeks to rest his knee and ease the pain caused by tendinitis.

He told the radio station Primero de Marzo: "I've been forcing the injury in the last few weeks, playing with injections.

"I've reached a point where I had to decide if I should continue, but run the risk of having to stop for two or three months, or if I should stop now and see if the injury gets better.

"I'm sad not to be there. I don't like having to make a decision like this, but in the long term it means that I should be ready for the national team's games in November."

Santa Cruz has scored five goals in 12 appearances for Rovers since his summer arrival from Bayern, netting on his debut in a 2-1 victory at Middlesbrough.