"You have to remember that he injured himself again playing for Portugal and so he's a long way from being a player who lacks commitment," he said.
"Perhaps it's an excess of commitment (that) has put us in this situation. Making the same mistake again would be a great deal more serious."
Valdano added that Real Madrid would be sending all the information on the injury to Portugal's doctors on Monday.
Portugal, World Cup semi-finalists in 2006, play Bosnia in Lisbon and then Zenica four days later, with the winners qualifying for the 2010 finals in South Africa.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
Bookmark with:
What are these?