Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil superstar forward Neymar will miss considerable time after fracturing his metatarsal.
The injury occurred during PSG’s 2-0 Coupe de France victory over Stasbourg on Wednesday evening when the former Barcelona star attempted a rainbow flick over the head of Moataz Zemzemi.
Landing awkwardly on his ankle, the 26-year-old had to be withdrawn from the game and left the pitch in tears.
Zemzemi had fouled Neymar several times in quick succession leading to the Brazilian attempting the audacious flick.
PSG manager Thomas Tuchel expressed his unhappiness at the lack of protection for his prized player,
“It was a situation where he was fouled three times, one after the other. The referee didn’t give anything. He twisted his foot,” said Tuchel.
“Ney is worried, because it is the same foot, the same place.”
Last year the PSG star injured the same ankle in February and missed the rest of the season for his club, recovering just in time to feature for Brazil at the World Cup.
His club confirmed the injury saying Neymar had suffered a “reactivation of the lesion of the fifth right metatarsal” and would assess treatment for the problem after the injury is given a few days to heal.
Neymar will almost certainly miss their Champions League Last 16 clash against Manchester United with the first leg of the tie being played on February 12.