Blackburn Rovers captain Ryan Nelsen has been ruled out for up to a month after picking up a hamstring injury, the English Premier League club said.

The New Zealand defender limped off early in the second half of Blackburn's 2-0 UEFA Cup defeat at Larissa in Greece on Thursday.

"It is the hamstring that he had the operation on," Blackburn manager Mark Hughes told the club's Web site (www.rovers.premiumtv.co.uk). "We think it is just a bit of scar tissue. He is going to be out for three of four weeks."

Defoe pledges future to Spurs

England striker Jermain Defoe has pledged his future to Tottenham Hotspur after scoring twice as a second-half substitute in Thursday's 6-1 UEFA Cup triumph over Famagusta of Cyprus.

Defoe, left out of the starting side in recent weeks, told BBC Radio Five that Spurs fans had given him a big lift and that he responded to their support.

"There were a lot of things said during the summer but when the fans are like that with me I don't want to go anywhere," said Defoe.

Dunne returns to City defence

Manchester City captain Richard Dunne will return to the team's defence for Saturday's trip to Fulham, manager Sven-Goran Eriksson told the club web-site.

Eriksson said he was pleased with his defence in last weekend's 1-0 victory over Aston Villa when they kept their fourth clean sheet of the season, but that Dunne there was no question of Dunne being left out.

"Dunne is our captain and he's available again so he will play."