Diogo Jota ruled out of World Cup
Portugal forward Diogo Jota’s calf injury he sustained in Liverpool’s weekend victory against Manchester City has ruled him out of the World Cup starting in Qatar next month.
Jota, who had only recently returned from an early-season hamstring injury, had to be carried off on a stretcher in stoppage time at Anfield and today Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp confirmed the worst fears.
“It’s really not good news about Diogo,” said Klopp.
“Yes, he will miss the World Cup. It’s a pretty serious injury in the calf muscle and now the recovery process starts.
“It is very sad news for the boy and for us as well of course and for Portugal.”
Jota himself reacted on Twitter, saying: “one of my dreams collapsed.”
After such a good night at Anfield mine ended in the worst way ! In the last minute one of my dreams collapsed ????
— Diogo Jota (@DiogoJota18) October 18, 2022
I will be one more supporting from the outside, club and country, and fighting to be back as soon as possible ????
You'll Never Walk Alone pic.twitter.com/gKssZSnLZ1
It is a big blow for Portugal, with Jota having established himself as the preferred partner for Cristiano Ronaldo over the past two years.
It is the latest in a series of injury concerns for Portugal as the World Cup approaches. Jota joins Pedro Neto as a confirmed absentee, centre-back Pepe is a doubt for the tournament as he recovers from a sprained knee, while PSG pair Nuno Mendes and Danilo are also currently hurt and out of action.
Even before the spate of injuries, coach Fernando Santos had been deprived of the services of in-form Rafa Silva, who surprisingly quit the national team last month.
With Jota and Rafa out, João Félix struggling for playing time at Atlético Madrid, André Silva getting limited minutes at Leipzig and star man Cristiano Ronaldo badly out of form, the options for Portugal’s forward line at the World Cup are looking increasingly problematic.
By Tom Kundert