KEY POINTS:
New Zealand soccer defender Ryan Nelsen faces a spell on the sidelines in England after a recurrence of his niggling hamstring injury.
The Blackburn Rovers captain has been struggling with the problem for the last few weeks and it was feared he might require an operation to correct.
However, Blackburn are hopeful that a period of rest might sort out the injury.
Rovers chairman John Williams confirmed that Nelsen does not need to go under the knife and that the New Zealander will be out of action for a couple of weeks.
"I've been told the scans have shown up what's called a bone projection, which is aggravating the tendon, but nothing that points to an operation," Williams told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.
"The preferred treatment is rest and I think we're probably talking about a couple of weeks to let things settle down again."
Nelsen , a former Christchurch United player, signed for the English premiership team in January 2005.
- NZPA