Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have suffered an enormous blow to their Champions League aspirations with star forward Neymar ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury.
The Brazilain, who picked up the injury during his team’s 4-3 win over Lille last month, will undergo surgery which will keep him out for at least three months.
PSG had early expressed hope that Neymar will be back before the end of the season.
“Neymar Jr. has had several episodes of instability in his right ankle in recent years,” PSG said in a statement.
“Following his last sprain contracted on Feb. 20, the medical staff … recommended a ligament repair operation to avoid a major risk of recurrence. All the experts consulted have confirmed this necessity.
“A delay of three to four months is expected before his return to training.”
Neymar’s absence adds to further misery for PSG who have looked far from their best since the turn of the year and face Bayern Munich on their turf trailing 1-0 from the first leg on March 9th.
The Brazilian has 18 goals and 16 assists in all competitions this season, tied with Lionel Messi as the only player with 15+ in each category.
Neymar’s whole spell with PSG has been riddled with injuries.
The now 31-year-old would have missed 146 games for the club since joining them in the 2017/18 season which has given rise to the conjecture that he will be moved on at the end of the season.
Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe have held the fort in his absence but only a Ligue 1 title may not be enough to save some jobs, including Christophe Galtiers, when the season concludes.
