News

Castrogiovanni shoulders big blow

May 21 2008

Leicester Tigers and Italy prop Martin Castrogiovanni is facing up to six months on the sidelines after having surgery on a damaged shoulder on Monday.

Castrogiovanni, a cornerstone of a formidable Italy pack and last season's Guinness Premiership Player of the Season, has been struggling with the injury for a while, and a recent setback resulted in the operation.

The results of the surgery are not yet known, but should the operation to stabilise the joint not have been successful, further rehab will be lengthy.

"I've been feeling pain for some time, but the situation degenerated recently," the 26-year-old forward told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I'll be out for eight to ten weeks. The problem is that I'm also suffering a strong groin injury," he said, adding that he could miss up to six months if the shoulder fails to stabilise.