Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke has been ruled out for at least six months after rupturing an Achilles tendon in training on Thursday.
Villa confirmed the bad news on their official website and it means the 23-year-old will also miss the World Cup this summer. Benteke, who has scored 11 goals for Villa this season, was expected to be a key member of the Belgium squad in Brazil.
Villa manager Paul Lambert told the website: "It's a terrible blow both for Christian and for the club.
"He will miss the rest of the season, obviously, and also the World Cup. But he'll work hard because that's what he does and he'll come back for us stronger than ever next season."
Villa said in their statement: "Christian Benteke will undergo surgery after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon injury today in training.
"He will be out for a minimum of six months."
The powerful forward, who joined from Genk in August 2012, was Villa's leading scorer and driving force in his first season at the club.
Although he has at times struggled to reproduce that form during his second term at Villa Park, the 23-year-old has remained the focal point of Lambert's attack, scoring 11 goals in the current campaign.
He was set for his first World Cup with Belgium, despite experiencing a recent goal drought at international level.
Benteke has frequently been linked with a move away from Villa Park, but the anticipated length of his absence looks likely to rule out any summer departure as it means he is not expected back until October at the earliest.
Belgium will face South Korea, Algeria and Russia in the group stage at the World Cup finals in Brazil, having been among the top seeds following a dramatic resurgence in the country's footballing fortunes.
Benteke has provided a fresh spark in attack, along with Romelu Lukaku, while the likes of Marouane Fellaini, Eden Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne have provided promptings from midfield, ahead of a rearguard that features Vincent Kompany and Atletico Madrid's on-loan Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
While Villa will not consider themselves safe from relegation, they look to be nearly there. With seven games of their campaign remaining, Lambert's side stand eight points clear of the bottom three.
Manchester City centre-back Kompany, captain of club and country, sent his support to Benteke. Kompany wrote on Twitter: "Wishing you all the strength you need @bentekechris20 and I hope you will recover quickly! We're all with you together!"
Wishing you all the strength you need @bentekechris20 and I hope you will recover quickly! We're all with you together! Courage fréro!
— Vincent Kompany (@VincentKompany) April 3, 2014
