France and Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny looks set to miss the upcoming FIFA World Cup after having injured his Achilles tendon during the Gunners’ 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Europa League semi-final.
“It’s too early to say how bad it is for Laurent, but it doesn’t look good. It’s his Achilles,” Gunners Arsene Wenger stated after the loss in Madrid.
Koscielny, who has been captaining Arsenal with regular skipper Per Mertesacker mostly on the sidelines, injured his Achilles fairly early during the Gunners’s tie with the Rojiblancos.
The experienced centre-back was clearly in agony, even as the club physios rushed to assist him. He was eventually stretchered off in the 12th minute, with Calum Chambers replacing him.
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The first leg in London had ended in a 1-1 draw and the second leg saw Atletico emerge victorious, with familiar Arsenal foe Diego Costa scoring the only goal at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Koscielny’s season for Arsenal is definitely over, however, for with the North Londoners’ exit from Europe, they have just three Premier League games left.
Arsenal’s remaining fixtures:
- Burnley (A), May 06
- Leicester (A), May 09
- Huddersfield (A), May 13
The 32-year-old defender has been a regular for France for the past few years and his injury will have Didier Deschamps worried, despite the fact that Les Bleus are stacked with talents in every position.
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The Word Cup is less than two month’s away as the quadrennial extravaganza kicks off on June 14.
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France, one of the favourites, have been drawn in Group C with Peru, Denmark and Australia. Their group opener takes place at the Kazan Arena in Kazan on June 16.