Melchiot given fitness boost
20 May 2008 - 07:13:49
Wigan Athletic manager Steve Bruce has allayed fears that Mario Melchiot could miss Euro 2008 due to a groin muscle problem.
The Latics skipper has been named in the Marco Van Basten's 26-man provisional squad for the forthcoming tournament despite missing the last two games of the Premier League campaign.
But, despite rumours suggesting the 31-year-old required surgery which would rule him out of contention, Bruce believes the former Chelsea and Birmingham City defender will be fit enough to play in Austria & Switzerland.
Melchiot has won 19 caps for the Netherlands after making his international debut in 2000.
"Mario is coming along fine and we fully expect him to be fit for Euro 2008," Bruce claimed.
"To see a Wigan player feature in that tournament would be fantastic and I'm just glad his injury wasn't as bad as we first feared."
Meanwhile, Bruce has also revealed that he expects Kevin Kilbane to be ready for the start of pre-season training despite the midfielder also sitting out the closing few weeks of the campaign with a long-running back problem.