Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Pedro Neto has been ruled out until 2023 after it was revealed that he required surgery on an ankle injury.
The 22-year-old has been a regular in the first XI this campaign, starting each of Wolves' eight fixtures in the Premier League.
However, Neto lasted just 24 minutes during last weekend's meeting with West Ham United after sustaining an issue with his ankle at the London Stadium.
The Portugal international initially attempted to continue before it became apparent that he would need to be replaced by then-head coach Bruno Lage.
With just five weeks of domestic action remaining before the World Cup, it was quickly perceived that Neto faced a race against time to return ahead of the second weekend in November.
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Wolves have now ruled out any possibility of the playmaker participating in any of their upcoming fixtures by revealing that one of the club's key players requires surgery.
An official statement read: "Pedro sustained an ankle injury against West Ham on Saturday where he strained the lateral ligaments.
"Following further evaluation and a specialist opinion this week, it is planned for him to undergo surgery. This means that, unfortunately, he will not be fit for the upcoming World Cup."
Having earned just three caps for the senior squad, there was no guarantee that Neto would have been selected in Portugal's 26-man squad.
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However, despite the former Lazio youngster not making an appearance for his country since March 2021, he was named in Fernando Santos's most recent squad in September.
The latest development is the second significant injury blow of Neto's short professional career after having previously suffered a fractured kneecap.
That led to Neto missing over 10 months of Premier League football before he made his return in February earlier this year, going on to make 13 outings during the remainder of the campaign.
Neto is now expected to miss several months, ruling him out until at least the turn of the year and his second major tournament in succession after being forced to miss Euro 2020.
Darren Plant
