Roma and Netherlands midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum is set to miss the Qatar World Cup after suffering a broken leg in training with his club at the weekend, reports suggest.
The Dutchman joined Jose Mourinho’s side on a season-long loan from French giants Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month, but a fresh start for the 31-year-old has been dealt a crushing blow which is likely to rule him out of the Qatar World Cup in November.
Reports from Gazzetta dello Sport suggest Wijnaldum allegedly collided with a team-mate during a training session at the weekend, with head coach Mourinho having some choice words for those who named Felix Afena-Gyan as the player involved and were critical of the youngster on social media.
A Roma statement on Sunday read: “Following an injury sustained in training this afternoon, Georginio Wijnaldum subsequently underwent medical tests that confirmed the presence of a fracture to the tibia in his right leg. The player will undergo further assessments in the coming days. FORZA GINI!”
Mourinho commented in a social media post: “Sometimes football can be s**t. In only two weeks, Gini became one of us because of his human qualities (his football qualities we already knew) Sadly, in a very unfortunate accident he had a bad injury that will keep him away from playing for a long time.
“But it’s not just football to be s**t sometimes, people can also be…those who initiated the rumours that a top kid like Felix (Afena-Gyan) could be responsible for what happened are real s**m. Let’s all be together tonight.”
It remains to be seen whether the player will require surgery. It is believed the midfielder, his team and the club will work with specialists to decide the best course of action to support a swift recovery.