Yoann Gourcuff damages his ankle taking his dog for a walk... and some more of football's greatest ever freakish injuries



France midfielder Yoann Gourcuff has suffered yet another setback in his hopes of returning to fitness - after he injured himself whilst talking his dog for a walk.

The 27-year-old, once tipped to be the next Zinedine Zidane, has had an utterly torrid time with injuries in recent years, managing just 97 appearances for Lyon in the last four years before being released at the end of this season.

He failed to make Didier Deschamps World Cup squad, and now hopes of finding a new club this summer have been well and truly dashed after this rather unfortunate event.



Here, Sportsmail looks at some other unusual things which have sidelined players over the years, including some other dog-related incidents.



Calamitous: Injury prone midfielder Yoann Gourcuff damaged his ankle whilst walking his dog

New Zidane: The French midfielder has been plagued with injury his entire career

Alan Tate



The Swansea defender broke his leg in 2011 after a bizarre golfing accident, when a golf buggy - in which he was a passenger - lost control and toppled over.



It was just at the start of the Welsh club's first ever season in the Premier League, and poor Alan was ruled out for six months of the campaign.





Kasey Keller

Golf is meant to be a serene, relaxed and risk-free sport, but this second injury shows sometimes that is clearly not the case.



Keller, the former US international, once knocked out all his front teeth whilst pulling his golf clubs out of the boot of his car.



Richard Wright



Manchester City's Premier League winning hero (...) was once ruled out of former club Everton's FA Cup fourth-round replay at Chelsea after suffering a freak injury whilst warming up.

Wright ignored a notice warning him not to practice in the goalmouth and promptly fell over the sign, suffering a twisted ankle.

The same player also damaged his shoulder falling through a loft as he was trying to pack away his suitcases.



Dave Beasant

Goalkeepers are clearly not the most careful of people.



Beasant ruled himself out for eight weeks in 1993 after dropping a bottle of salad cream on his foot, severing the tendon in his big toe.



Curtailed: Alan Tate's Premier League career with Swansea was halted after a golf buggy accident

Backup: Richard Wright (left) celebrates Manc City's Premier League win with his fellow goalkeepers

David James

And reiterating what was just said... the former England stopper once pulled a muscle in his back when reaching for the television remote control. And the keen angler also tweaked his shoulder when trying to land a monster carp .





Rio Ferdi nand

Away from keepers for a while (but not for too long), Ferdinand, whilst at Leeds, managed to pick up a tendon strain in his knee whilst watching TV.



The defender, who has just left Man Utd, had his foot up on a coffee table for a number of hours and ended up injuring a tendon behind his knee.



Svein Grondalen

The Norweigan defender from a bygone era may not exactly be a household name, but he certainly deserves a mention after being forced to withdraw from international duty during the 1970s after colliding with a moose whilst out jogging.





Al an Mullery

This one is a puzzler. The England star missed the 1964 tour of South America after injuring his back while brushing his teeth. An impressive feat in every sense.



David Batty

The former Leeds and Blackburn midfielder managed to re-injure his Achilles tendon when he was run over by his toddler on a tricycle.



Yorkshireman: Rio Ferdinand in his Leeds United days

Tough nut: David Batty (right) having to be separated from Nicky Butt during Newcastle's famous 5-0 win over Man Utd in 1997

Sean Flynn



And in the same vein: Flynn, then the captain of Kidderminster suffered a broken nose, busted lip and bruised toes after tripping over his son's toy cars.



Kevin Kyle



The Kilmarnock striker spent a night in hospital in 2006 when his eight-month old son kicked a jug of boiling water over his crotch.



Darren Barnard

Dogs again. The former Barnsley midfielder was sidelined for five months with a torn knee ligament after he slipped in a puddle of his puppy's urine on the kitchen floor.



Chic Brodie

And one last one. In 1975, the Brentford goalkeeper's career was ended when he collided with a sheepdog which had run on to the pitch.



Brodie shattered his kneecap while the dog got the ball. 'The dog might have been a small one, but it just happened to be a solid one,' he reflected.





Alex Stepney

So with dogs gone, it has to be back to keepers. In 1975 the Man Utd stopper incredibly managed to diislocate his jaw while shouting at his defenders during a match against Birmingham.



Glory: Barnsley's Darren Barnard celebrates his goal against Spurs in 1998

Legends: Sir Alf Ramsey talks to (left to right) Alex Stepney, Gordon Banks, Peter Thompson, Colin Bell and Sir Bobby Charlton

Santiago Canizares



The Spain goalkeeper missed the 2002 World Cup after accidentally shattering a bottle of aftershave in his hotel sink. A piece of glass fell on his foot, severing a tendon in his big toe.



Michael Stensgaard



The Danish goalkeeper was forced to retire after suffering an injury to his shoulder while he attempted to fold down an ironing board.



Darius Vassell



Then at Aston Villa, Vassell missed several games after he drilled through his toe nail with a home power drill thinking it would relieve the pressure on a swollen toe. The attempt at DIY surgery succeeded only in giving the toe an infection which required medical attention.



Leroy Lita

And always good to finish with a classic: Lita once damaged a muscle while stretching after he woke up.

Floored: Former England international Darius Vassell in action for Aston Villa in 2003

Lion: Former England U-21 international Leroy Lita once pulled a muscle from an early morning stretch



