Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-Min was substituted midway through the first half of a Champions League match at Marseille on Tuesday after taking a shoulder to his face in a collision with an opponent.
The South Korea captain received treatment for about four minutes before being helped off the field at Stade Velodrome. Son appeared to be unsteady on his feet as he walked off.
The setback, if critical, means South Korea will come to the Qatar Party (FIFA World Cup) without their marksman; a development which has sent many Ghanaian soccer fans into frenzy on social media.
Tottenham assistant head coach Cristian Stellini, who was filling in for Antonio Conte as he served a sideline ban, said after the match that Son’s eye was swollen but added he was already feeling better and would be assessed in the next 24 hours.
The 30-year-old has just over three weeks to recover ahead of South Korea’s opening game against Uruguay on November 24.
It comes after France’s Raphael Varane and Portugal’s Diogo Jota were ruled out of the first-ever winter World Cup after suffering injuries playing for their clubs.
And Liverpool legend Carragher criticised FIFA’s decision to alter the timing of the tournament from its usual summer slot to mid-season.
“I think it’s an absolute disgrace that the World Cup is in the position it’s in, for lots of reasons,” Carragher said on CBS Sports.
“It was corrupt that Qatar were given the World Cup, we knew that at the time.
“Players who spend their whole lives dreaming of playing in a World Cup and now could be [out injured] – as we’ve seen with Son and players all around the world.”
South Korea are playing in Group H along with Uruguay, Ghana and Portugal at the World Cup, which starts in less than three weeks’ time in Qatar.