Karim Benzema has been ruled out for the rest of the season after sustaining a severe ankle injury in training on Monday.
The French forward, who is currently playing for Real Madrid, has missed the entire first half of the Premier League campaign and will be missing the remaining matches.
Benzema, 27, had been making his return from the knee surgery that he underwent earlier this year but has yet to fully recover.
He was reportedly being treated by a doctor at his home in Paris while waiting for a specialist to assess him.
It remains to be seen how long he will be out and if he will be able to resume training as soon as possible.
Benzema has made a strong start to his career with Real Madrid,Premier League Updates scoring 15 goals in all competitions so far this season and helping them to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League last season.
He has also been a key player in their recent title-winning run and has been praised for his performances both in front of goal and behind it.
Despite the setback, Benzema remains optimistic about his future at Real Madrid and hopes to make a comeback soon.
"I am looking forward to returning to training," he said in a statement released by the club. "I am confident that I can play again next season and I hope to continue my career at Real Madrid."
The club has already announced that they have secured a new deal for Benzema, which will keep him at the club until 2024.
The injury update comes just weeks before Benzema is due to turn 28 and could potentially impact his chances of joining Real Madrid's other main targets such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
But the 27-year-old is confident that he can still make a big contribution to the team even without him.
"It's always important to stay positive and keep pushing forward," he said. "We are very fortunate to have Karim back and we look forward to seeing him back in action."