Defoe blow leaves Adams short of options

JERMAIN DEFOE is facing the possibility of surgery that could rule him out for six weeks as Portsmouth manager Tony Adams contemplates fielding a weakened team for the club’s clash with Italian giants AC Milan in the UEFA Cup on Thursday.

Influential midfielders Lassana Diarra and Niko Kranjcar are, like Defoe, also under specialists’ care for the injuries which kept them out of Saturday’s 2-2 home draw with Hull.

Now Adams, who is set to name bit-part players such as Kanu, Hermann Hreidarsson and David Nugent for the club’s biggest ever European night, insists he will not risk the fitness of top-line stars.