Portugal have been handed a major setback in their World Cup campaign as Liverpool forward Diogo Jota has been ruled out of the tournament with a calf injury, according to Reds manager Jurgen Klopp.
The 25-year-old was taken off on a stretcher in the final moments of his side’s 1-0 Premier League win against Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.
Klopp said Jota will be out for a “long time” and “we talk about months”.
“[It is a] pretty serious injury of the calf muscle. Sad news for the boy, us and Portugal,” the German added.
“He’s surprisingly OK so far. He’s an incredibly smart boy. I think he knew it when we carried him off the pitch.”
“We passed each other after the game and he explained pretty much what had happened. I think he knew it was a serious one and could be pretty impactful for his World Cup dreams.”
Jota missed the start of the season with a hamstring injury before returning as a substitute in a goalless draw against Everton on 3 September.
He played for Portugal during the international break later that month and scored in a 4-0 win against the Czech Republic. (Culled from BBC Sports)