MONACO (AP) – Japan midfielder Takumi Minamino ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while playing for Monaco, making it all but certain that he will miss the World Cup.
Minamino is injured Monaco suffered the injury in Sunday’s French Cup match against Auxerre and “a medical examination revealed a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament,” Monaco posted on social media on Monday.
Typically, athletes take up to nine months to recover from an ACL injury.
Japan will open the World Cup group stage on June 14th against the Netherlands at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Japan will play Tunisia, and the winner of the European playoffs will also face Poland or Ukraine.
Minamino, who turns 31 next month, scored four goals and Japan became one of the first teams to qualify for the 2026 tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The former Liverpool and Salzburg player scored 26 goals in 73 appearances for Japan, including three at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Minamino will also miss the remainder of Monaco’s Champions League program, which will feature Real Madrid and hosts Juventus in January. Monaco is in 19th place out of 36 teams after six rounds.
Monaco is 9th in the French league.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
