Jonathan Woodgate has revealed his disappointment at his latest injury setback following his return to action after an eighteen month absence.
The 25-year-old Real Madrid defender will be out for the next four weeks with a hamstring strain after recovering from a longstanding thigh injury.
He said: “I am sad, really sad, because I wanted to play against Barcelona.
“It’s a pity I can’t continue playing at the moment because I was just getting back into the rhythm of competitive matches again.”
The Barcelona encounter is the most eagerly awaited fixture in Spanish football and Woodgate will also be disappointed to have missed a return to the England side for this weekend’s friendly match against Argentina.
However, Woodgate was relieved that the latest knock was not a recurrence of the thigh injury which kept him out of action for over a season.
“This injury has nothing to do with the old one which was very important news for me. I have completely recovered from that one.”
He had been out since tearing a thigh muscle in a Premiership game against Chelsea on 25 April 2004.
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