Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana has suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while playing for Belgium at the World Cup.
The 24-year-old was taken off after 21 minutes of Belgium’s 4-1 round-of-16 win over the United States, having gone down clutching his right knee as he tried to reach the ball ahead of Christian Pulisic.
He received treatment on the field before limping off, and was later seen on crutches with a knee brace.
Belgium team doctor Brahim Hacene called the diagnosis “devastating,” confirming the ACL rupture. He said Belgium immediately consulted with Aston Villa to agree on the best recovery plan, and that the next steps in Onana’s treatment and rehabilitation will be decided in the coming days. He added that Onana will have the team’s full support.
Belgium said Onana will remain with the squad for Friday’s quarter-final against Spain in Los Angeles (20:00 BST).
ACL tears typically sideline players for six to nine months.