Nelsen is captain of both Blackburn and New Zealand

Blackburn Rovers boss Sam Allardyce fears New Zealand defender Ryan Nelsen may have suffered a knee injury in the 3-0 victory over Bolton on Sunday.

Just before half-time Blackburn captain Nelsen, 32, had to come off after a collision with Ricardo Gardner.

"I'm hoping that he's twisted his ankle and not his knee," Allardyce told the Blackburn website.

"But he was holding his knee which was the big problem for me and I think it's his one where he's had surgery before."

New Zealand, who will compete in only their second World Cup in South Africa this summer, will also be waiting anxiously to discover the extent of the injury to All Whites captain Nelsen

"It'll be 48 hours before we can tell and we'll keep our fingers crossed, not just for us but for him," added Allardyce.

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