Villarreal's Nihat undergoes knee repairs

Villarreal CF attacker Nihat Kahveci will be out of action for up to four weeks after undergoing surgery on a right knee complaint, with medical staff saying the club had taken advantage of another injury to get him seen to.

Injury prone
The Turkish international, 29, has endured a difficult season on the injury front with two thigh problems restricting him to just seven Liga appearances so far this term. After picking up a knee sprain in training prior to Villarreal's 3-3 draw against Valencia CF on 10 January, club doctor Juan Albors took the decision to operate. "We took advantage of the time he was going to be out with the sprain," Albors explained. "We repaired the meniscus which was the cause of the problem and was resulting in the player suffering pain. The intervention was successful and he must now rest."

Broken finger
Meanwhile, defender Ángel López will be forced to play with a protective covering on his right hand for up to six weeks after breaking a finger during Sunday’s 2-0 home victory against RCD Mallorca. Villarreal play Panathinaikos FC in the UEFA Champions League first knockout round on 25 February and 10 March.