Croatia will be without star striker Ivica Olic for the duration of the European Championships with Nikola Kalinic set to take his place in the squad.
Contrary to initial thoughts from the Croatian medical staff, the results of an ultrasound examination showed that the former Bayern Munich frontman has ruptured his long head bicep muscle in his right thigh; an injury that takes a minimum of four to six weeks to fully heal.
Ex-Blackburn Rovers striker Kalinic is set to be his replacement. Kalinic has been in good form since signing for Ukranian outfit Dnipro last August, scoring ten times in just nineteen appearances.
Olic, who recently signed for Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, picked up the injury in Croatia’s recent friendly with Norway. He is expected to fly home from Munich later on today.
A statement on the Croatian Football Federation's official website said: "Unfortunately, Ivica Olic will not participate at the European Championships in Ukraine and Poland, and as his replacement, coach Slaven Bilic has called Nikola Kalinic."
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Andrew Cunneen
Andrew joined Extratime for the 2010 season and covers all the on-goings down in Limerick. Having first experienced the League of Ireland in 2002, Andrew became hooked, even at such an early age. He is currently studying English and New Media at the University of Limerick. You can contact him via Twitter @Cunneen92.