Bayer Leverkusen's Iranian striker Sardar Azmoun will be out of action for between six and eight weeks after an injury suffered Tuesday evening during the warm-up in Porto in the Champions League, his club announced on Thursday, making his participation in the World Cup very uncertain.
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Sardar Azmoun suffered a torn right calf muscle on Tuesday evening during warm-up before the 2-0 defeat at FC Porto in the Champions League
," Bayer Leverkusen said in a statement.
The 27-year-old's estimated downtime is between six and eight weeks, the club said.
The presence at the World Cup of Sardar Azmoun, a real star of the Iranian selection and who is nicknamed the Iranian Messi, is thus more than uncertain.
Iran begins its competition on November 21 against England, six and a half weeks from now.
During the gathering of "
Team Melli
", nickname of the Iranian selection, two weeks ago, Azmoun and the Iranian players had given their support to the protest movement underway in Iran.
This vast protest movement triggered on September 16 by the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, three days after his arrest by the police, has been going on for almost three weeks.
At least 92 people have been killed since September 16, according to the Oslo-based NGO Iran Human Rights, while authorities put the death toll at around 60, including 12 members of the security forces.