BELGIUM’S CHRISTIAN BENTEKE will miss the World Cup after Aston Villa confirmed their star striker has suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Benteke sustained the injury in training on Thursday and is expected to be sidelined for at least six months following imminent surgery.
“Christian Benteke will undergo surgery after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon injury today in training,” a message on Villa’s official Twitter feed announced.
“He will be out for a minimum of six months.”
Benteke’s injury is a shattering setback for the 23-year-old, who had hoped to showcase his talents at the World Cup after a difficult season with Villa.
Villa manager Paul Lambert hopes Benteke can use his frustration to make a successful comeback next season.
“It’s a terrible blow both for Christian and for the Club,” Lambert said.
“He will miss the rest of the season, obviously, and also the World Cup.
“But he’ll work hard because that’s what he does and he’ll come back for us stronger than ever next season.”
Benteke is Villa’s top scorer this term but has only 11 goals to his name after struggling to recapture the form which made him so highly praised in his debut Premier League season last year.
The former Standard Liege forward, who moved to Villa from Genk for £7 million (USD$11.6million) in August 2012, had been linked with a move away from the Premier League club, but that transfer talk is likely to be put on hold until he regains full fitness.
