The 34-year-old Barcelona captain, whose header against Germany famously took Spain into the final of a victorious 2010 World Cup campaign, said he expects to undergo the operation on Saturday.
Asked if he could still join the Euro squad, he told a news conference: "It would be very difficult. Those who are fittest have to go. It would be unfair to take a player who is not at 100 per cent."
The long-haired defender is to undergo a knee arthroscopy, in which a tiny camera is inserted through small incisions and damaged tissue can be repaired or removed. He faces a six-week recovery.
Spain captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas said Puyol's injury and likely absence from the squad was a "major setback" but he said Spain could still win Euro 2012.
Casillas said he believed the squad could retain their Euro title.
"We have the ability to win it, I say this emphatically. Spain can win this championship again," he said.
ORIGINAL SOURCE: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_sports/view/1200288/1/.html
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