Arsenal´s Rosicky out for season: agent

Arsenal’s Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky, sidelined with a knee injury since January 2008, will miss this season despite signs of improvement, a Czech sports daily wrote Friday citing his agent.

“If Tomas increased the intensity of his training, he would make it for the last two matches (of the season), but it doesn’t pay off to take the risk because of that,” Rosicky’s agent Pavel Paska told the Sport daily.

Rosicky said on his website earlier he expected to return around the turn of March and April.

The 28-year-old Czech Republic captain, who played 68 matches and scored 19 goals for the national team before missing Euro 2008 because of the injury, underwent two operations on the knee tendon last year.

Rosicky was last seen in an Arsenal shirt on January 26 last year when he hobbled off after nine minutes of an FA Cup tie with Newcastle at the Emirates Stadium.

The Czech Republic are now struggling to squeeze into the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after several lacklustre performances sent them to the fourth place in qualifying Group 3.