Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek will miss the Europa League final after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in a charity friendly in the United States.
But at least the England midfielder was hurt on the pitch. Here Press Association Sport looks at five unfortunate players who missed out on major matches for far more unusual reasons.
Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Courtois was sidelined by a basketball injury (Adam Davy/PA)
Alan Mullery
Alan Mullery’s England debut was delayed by an injury sustained while brushing his teeth (PA)
Emerson
Emerson missed the 2002 World Cup with a dislocated shoulder (Nick Potts/PA)
Santiago Canizares
Santiago Canizares was seemingly never destined to be Spain’s number one (Nick Potts/PA)
Svein Grondalen
A moose ruled Svein Grondalen out of a World Cup qualifier (Peter Cairns/PA)
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