Manchester City and Croatia defender Joško Gvardiol needs surgery this week for a fracture to his right leg and will be out for months ahead of the World Cup.
The 23-year-old Gvardiol “suffered a tibial fracture to his right leg” in the second half of a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at the weekend, City confirmed in a statement late Monday.
He will have surgery this week, and the City has given no timetable for his return.
City trails Premier League leader Chelsea by six points and is well set to advance directly to the round of 16 in the Champions League, which resumes in March. The club is fourth in the 36-team standings, with two league-phase games remaining this month: at Bodo/Glimt and hosting Galatasaray.
Croatia begins its World Cup group on June 17 against England at Cowboys Stadium. Croatia then plays Panama in Toronto and Ghana in Philadelphia.
Gvardiol is likely to miss Croatia’s visit to the United States in March for warm-up games against Colombia and Brazil.
