Zenden hopes of being fit for final increasing

May 22 2007 Liverpool Daily Post

DUTCH star Bolo Zenden arrived in Athens yesterday with an increasing chance of being fit for the Champions League final.

Midfielder Zenden damaged an ankle last week at Liverpool’s La Manga training camp and left Spain for Saturday’s flight home on crutches.

But Zenden, 30, whose contract expires at Anfield this summer, could still make his final appearance for the Reds when they take on AC Milan in the Olympic Stadium tomorrow.

Zenden’s future is unclear, and the fear was that injury would rule him out of boss Rafael Benitez’s squad as Liverpool bid to win the European crown for the sixth time. But club spokesman Ian Cotton said: “Bolo is progressing as well as can be expected, he is doing fine and we will have to see how his fitness progresses over the next couple of days.”

Benitez has vowed to give Zenden every chance to prove his fitness, but he has Harry Kewell on stand-by to play on the left of midfield and can also call on John Arne Riise to play in that role, with Alvaro Arbeloa filling in at left-back.

Mark Gonzalez also comes into the equation if Zenden fails to recover from his injury. But Zenden – who is clearly unsure whether he will be offered another contract – is determined to play.

He said: “I do not want to talk about my future at the moment. For anyone to be playing in a final would be fantastic, but I will let people know about my future after the game. A Champions League medal on my CV would be quite nice, though.”

And Zenden, who surprisingly played in both legs of the semi-final triumph against Chelsea, added: “I hope my performances against Chelsea in the semi-final will mean I will be given a start. I am really looking forward to the final again.”