Wijnaldum likely to miss World Cup due to broken leg

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Injured Netherlands midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum is unlikely to feature at this year's World Cup after Roma General Manager Tiago Pinto said on Friday he would only return to the club in January.

The 31-year-old broke his leg during training with the Serie A team on Sunday and faces a race against time to feature in the tournament which begins on November 20 in Qatar.

The Netherlands national football team has not officially ruled him out of the tournament, which takes place in Qatar in November and December, but with an estimated recovery time of three months, it is highly unlikely that Wijnaldum will be ready. 

Wijnaldum joined Roma earlier in August on a 12-month loan from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and has played just 12 minutes for his new team.

"I think he will be our big January reinforcement," Pinto told Roma's website, adding that "We signed him for the whole season, but we'll wait for him in January."

"It was unfortunate. In a week it looked like he had been here for a year," Roma's General Manager expressed.

According to Italian media, Roma, PSG, and the Netherlands decided against an operation for the 86-time capped former Liverpool playmaker.

The Netherlands face Group A matches against Senegal, and Ecuador and hosts Qatar when the World Cup starts on November 20.

The Italian Serie A championship stops on the weekend of November 13 and resumes on January 4, 2023.

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