Soccer: Bridges to see top surgeon

Leeds striker Michael Bridges is to visit American surgeon Richard Steadman next week amid fears he may require further surgery on a knee injury which could rule him out for the rest of the season.

Steadman is a world leader in his field having operated on Alan Shearer, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Jamie Redknapp in the past, with all three since making successful comebacks from career-threatening knee problems.

Bridges will now be hoping Steadman can rescue him from a near year-long nightmare, one which has left him ‘‘devastated’’ according to manager David O’Leary.

Following a successful recovery from the Achilles and ankle ligament injuries he sustained in last October’s Champions League tie against Besiktas in Istanbul, Bridges then damaged his knee in May as he stepped up his bid for full fitness.

An operation during the summer seemed to have cured the problem, with the 23-year-old pencilled in for a comeback early this season, only for Bridges to then suffer a shattering setback during training.

United’s 21-goal leading scorer for the 1999-2000 season now faces a consultation in Colorado with Steadman, who will decide whether treatment or another operation is required.

If Bridges does need to go under the knife again it is unlikely he will be fit this season, bearing in mind it took Shearer, van Nistelrooy and Redknapp a year for their respective recoveries.

‘‘He picked up the injury in a reserve game at the end of last season which led to a small operation in the summer and the surgeon was quite pleased,’’ confirmed O’Leary.

‘‘But he then went training a few weeks ago and aggravated the knee, so it has been suggested we send him out to Colorado to see Richard Steadman who helped Alan Shearer, Jamie Redknapp and van Nistelrooy.

‘‘It’s a close call as to whether he will require treatment or an operation. If the surgeon says he requires the surgery then he will stay over there and get it done as quickly as possible.

‘‘He’s devastated, particularly after how well he did to get over the unbelievably bad injury he first had, and now he’s got this. He just wants to get on and get a final decision on what needs doing.

‘‘If he did have surgery, we’re not really going to get him fit for this season and that is a long, long time to be out.

‘‘Look at what happened with Harry Kewell. He was out for six months and it then took him another six to get fully fit. Here we’re talking Bridges being out for 18 months or more.

‘‘As he is so young and you’re dealing with such an expensive product, you can’t take any chances.

‘‘It’s not like he’s 32 years old. He’s got so much time ahead of him so you’ve got to get it right.’’

The same applies to Alan Smith who has now been on the sidelines for five weeks with an ankle ligament injury, one which not only rules him out of Sunday’s trip to Ipswich, but also England’s World Cup qualifier with Greece next Saturday.

‘‘We could chance it and push him on,’’ added O’Leary. ‘‘But if he was to break down on me, instead of leaving it for another week or two, then I could lose him for another six weeks.

‘‘With the news Bridges won’t be back for a long time, plus Mark Viduka going away with Australia in November, that’s what I’ve had to weigh up.

‘‘Smithy’s not that far away, but hopefully by the Worthington Cup game against Leicester (October 9) we might be thinking of him. Certainly by the second round of the UEFA Cup (October 18) he should be back.’’

Given the problems with Bridges and Smith, it has left O’Leary operating with just two strikers in Robbie Keane and Viduka.

That line-up will change in November, with Smith in tandem with Keane as Viduka will be on international duty for three weeks, all a far cry from the forward plans O’Leary envisaged at the start of the season.

‘‘I was hoping to work with four, but I’m down to two,’’ stated O’Leary. ‘‘If we had Bridges back then that would have been like having a new signing because he’s been out for so long.

‘‘Certainly there are no kids coming through. The gravy train in that department has finished, so it looks like I’m not going to have more than two at a time over the next couple of months. That makes us very vulnerable.’’

Which is why O’Leary continues to be linked with Robbie Fowler, and given his close friendship with Reds boss Gerard Houllier, he jokingly added: ‘‘I speak to Gerard all the time, so if I need anything at Liverpool it’s not a problem.’’