Defender Lucas Hernández, injured on Tuesday against Australia in France’s first match at the 2022 World Cup, has suffered a torn ligament in his right knee, the French Football Federation (FFF) announced on Wednesday. (23).
Lucas Hernández underwent an MRI that “unfortunately confirmed the clinical diagnosis: rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of the right knee,” the FFF said in a statement.
The 26-year-old Bayern Munich player cannot be replaced in the group led by French coach Didier Deschamps, who will have to play the rest of the 24-man World Cup.
The injury is expected to sideline Lucas Hernández for several months.
Starting on the left in the match against Australia (4-1), Lucas Hernández injured his knee alone when trying to intercept a ball and had to be substituted by his younger brother, Theo, in the 13th minute.
The 2018 world champion with France injured his groin on 13 September and returned to competition on 5 November.
In the group of players he has called up, Deschamps only has Theo to play at left-back, a 25-year-old player with a more attacking profile than his older brother.
“I’m going to find other solutions with regard to Lucas,” he declared at a press conference on Tuesday after the game. “If we want to be calm in all positions, we will have to call up 33 players. Theo is there, so there will be other alternatives.”
The French team, which can qualify for the round of 16 as early as next Saturday, against Denmark, has been plagued by a series of injuries since the start of the season: midfielders Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté, the goalkeeper Mike Maignan, defender Presnel Kimpembe, striker Christopher Nkunku and Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema join Hernández in the statistics.
“Honestly, it’s starting to be too much,” captain Hugo Lloris complained to the media after the game.
“It’s a new hard blow, but we have to move forward, look forward. We have to unite more”, he added.
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