Laurent Koscielny after his injury in Arsenal's clash against Atletico Madrid
Laurent Koscielny after his injury in Arsenal's clash against Atletico Madrid

Laurent Koscielny could miss the World Cup


Laurent Koscielny could miss the World Cup after suffering a suspected ruptured Achilles in Arsenal's Europa League semi-final defeat against Atletico Madrid.

The France defender was carried off on a stretcher early on during the 1-0 defeat at the Wanda Metropolitano.

The 32-year-old lost his footing while moving towards Diego Costa off the ball and was in obvious distress as he clutched his lower leg.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger revealed after the game that he was fearing the worst for Koscielny with the World Cup on the horizon.

"It's not good," Wenger told BT Sport. "It looks (like) an Achilles rupture. Maybe we'll have good news but the first signs are not very good."

The injury forced Arsenal into a change after just 12 minutes with Calum Chambers replacing Koscielny - who has been nursing an Achilles problem for most of the season.

The Gunners, who have three games remaining in the Premier League, lost the semi-final 2-1 on aggregate and will finish the campaign without silverware.

France will face Australia, Peru and Denmark in Group C at the World Cup in Russia this summer, with their first game - against the Socceroos - scheduled for June 16.

Sky Bet offer France at 6/1 to win the World Cup.

Wenger was asked about his own future plans following the defeat but said he could not think about anything past the pain of dropping out of the competition.

Arsene Wenger after Arsenal's defeat against Atletico Madrid
Arsene Wenger after Arsenal's defeat against Atletico Madrid

"I have to recover first from a huge disappointment tonight," he said.

"I am very, very sad to leave the club with that exit. I will take some time to recover from that and after I will see what I do with myself in the future.

"For the club it allows some time to think about what to do for next season and there are some good ingredients in our team and they will bounce back, these players have quality and with the right additions in the summer they will compete next year."

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