Football: Either rod and pins or screws and plate: Paul Gascoigne faces a long plaster and a longer haul. Liz Hunt reports

A LEADING sports doctor yesterday described Paul Gascoigne's fractures of his right tibia and fibula, the two bones in the lower leg, as much less serious than his ruptured cruciate knee ligament.

Nevertheless, Basil Helal, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon and President of the British Association of Sport and Medicine, believed that the England midfielder would not be able to play again for several months.

Despite his sporadic appearances for Lazio this season, Gascoigne 'had recovered so well from the latest injury,' Helal said. 'He is unlikely to play again for at least four to six months.'

The impact of the tackle which caused the fracture probably pushed the bones out of position so they will have to be realigned. Treatment of lower leg fractures varies depending on the age and activity of the individual, the location and complexity of the break.

In many cases the leg is simply encased in plaster and the bones are left to knit together. However 'internal fixation' - in which a metal rod or plate is screwed into the tibia, the main weight bearing bone - usually means a quicker return to activity, which is vital in Gascoigne's case.

There are two ways of fixing the break; a rod can be inserted down into the marrow (to anchor the break in position) and cross-pinned with steel pins. The preferred technique - and the most likely in this case - involves a steel plate screwed into the fibula to hold the break in place while it heals.

Gascoigne's leg would be put in plaster, probably running from ankle to above the knee, for about eight weeks. This could be reduced to a 'gaiter' after a month or so, leaving his ankle and knee free. 'He should be able to walk on it and carry out static exercises while in plaster,' Helal added. The steel rod or plates would be removed when the bones had healed.

Gascoigne was admitted to the Princess Grace Hospital in London yesterday where he was to be seen by John Browett, the surgeon who operated on his anterior cruciate ligament in 1991. He also operated after Gascoigne was involved in an incident in a night-club that left him with damage to his kneecap on the same leg. He is expected to undergo surgery today and return to competitive football early next year. Headlines proclaiming 'Gazza . . . the end' maybe somewhat premature.

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