Scan allays De Zeeuw injury fears

Wigan captain Arjan de Zeeuw faces only a “short term” spell on the sidelines after a scan revealed no serious damage to a knee injury sustained at the weekend.

Centre-back De Zeeuw limped off after 35 minutes of Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Liverpool with the problem, ruling him out of yesterday’s training session, and resulting in a visit to a specialist.

The 35-year-old Dutchman jarred his knee on the Anfield turf, raising fears he could miss a significant part of the season with the hectic Christmas and new year period on the horizon.

But, to the relief of manager Paul Jewell and De Zeeuw, there is a possibility he may play in Saturday’s Premiership clash at reigning champions and current leaders Chelsea.

Jewell said: “The results of the scan have shown good news.

“The injury is certainly more short term than long term, and most importantly there is no permanent damage. We are very pleased with the results.

“However, Arry’s still got an injury that will require physio treatment throughout the week.

“It’s too early at this stage to say whether he’ll be fit for the weekend match at Chelsea. It’s one we’ll be keeping an eye on. That’s for sure.”