Aston Villa have confirmed France midfielder Boubacar Kamara will be out of action until after the World Cup with a knee injury.
The 22-year-old, who joined the club in the summer transfer window, was forced off during the first half of Villa's win over Southampton before the international break.
Further tests confirmed Boubacar, signed from Marseille, had sustained ligament damage which will require a lengthy spell of rehabilitation.
"Kamara will be missing until after the World Cup with a knee ligament injury, suffered during the win over Southampton," a Villa statement said.
Kamara, who has won three caps for France, had been called up for the latest round of Nations League matches before his injury.
The loss of Kamara is another setback for Villa, whose Brazilian defender Diego Carlos ruptured his Achilles in only his second appearance for the club.
"It is not ideal, we have had better days on the injury front," Villa manager Steven Gerrard said at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
"Boubacar will be missing until after the World Cup unfortunately, so that is a huge blow.
"It is him and obviously Diego Carlos, two of our signature signings, who are going to be missing for a large part of the season."
3 women referees
The presence of women referees at the 2022 World Cup will send "a strong sign", said trailblazing French referee Stéphanie Frappart on Thursday, one of three women officials selected for the tournament in Qatar.
"It's a strong sign from FIFA and the authorities to have women referees in that country. I'm not a feminist spokesperson, but if this can make things happen..." said Frappart.
The 38-year-old is one of 36 referees selected for the November 20-December 18 tournament being staged in the conservative Gulf state.
Rwandan Salima Mukansanga and Yoshimi Yamashita of Japan are the other two women officials to be chosen.
Frappart has set numerous landmarks in her career – she was the first woman referee to officiate the men's UEFA Super Cup (August 2019), in the Champions League (December 2020), and at the French Cup final (May 2022).