Stewart Downing Out For Three Months

England winger Stewart Downing, who plays in the English Premier League for Middlesbrough, will be out of action for about three months and will miss his country’s World Cup qualifiers in June because of surgery needed on a foot injury. The 24-year-old was injured when tackled by Aston Villa midfielder Stiliyan Petrov during May 16th’s 1-1 draw at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough and will need surgery to pin the injury.

England takes on Kazakhstan on June 6 and then plays Andorra four days later on June 10th as Fabio Capello’s squad are aiming to secure qualification for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.

Middlesbrough assistant coach Malcolm Crosby said: “Stewart has played every game for us this season and has made a big contribution. He hasn’t scored goals, but he has worked extremely hard.”

The tests carried out haven’t confirmed a fracture, and doctors are waiting for the swelling to go down before they can fully assess the injury. But even if there is no broken bone, he still needs the operation.

Downing will also miss Middlesbrough’s must-win final game of season against West Ham as they try to avoid relegation. However, he may have played his last game for the team as he may be on the move after the season, possibly to Tottenham.

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