MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Brazil forward Estevao’s World Cup hopes are in doubt after it was confirmed Friday that he will miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury.
It is unclear whether the Chelsea player will recover in time for the tournament, which runs from June to July.
Chelsea caretaker manager Callum McFarlane did not say when Estevao will recover from the injury sustained in the first half of last week’s game against Manchester United.
“Estebao will unfortunately be out for a short period of time and will not be playing for us this season, which is a real shame, especially for a young and talented player,” said MacFarlane. “I think he’s very hopeful that he’ll be able to play in the World Cup, but I don’t know about that.”
Estevao, 19, was sent off after 16 minutes in the 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge and missed Tuesday’s 3-0 defeat at Brighton.
Estevao joined Chelsea from Palmeiras last year and has scored eight goals this season. He has scored five goals in his last six international competitions and was expected to be included in coach Carlo Ancelotti’s squad for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
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