London (AFP) – Veteran French defender Laurent Koscielny is “devastated” at missing out on this year’s World Cup finals after undergoing surgery on a ruptured Achilles tendon, said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
The 32-year-old central defender is set to be sidelined for six months according to Wenger, bringing a sad end to his international career as he had planned to retire after the finals in Russia.
Koscielny, capped over 50 times and a member of the France side that lost to Portugal in the Euro 2016 final, was carried off 12 minutes into Arsenal’s Europa League semi-final second-leg defeat by Atletico Madrid last Thursday.
“He is of course devastated. He will be out for six months. You will not see him before the beginning of December at best,” said Wenger.
Koscielny revealed to the Evening Standard in May last year he would require daily treatment on an Achilles injury for the rest of his career.
According to the newspaper he was diagnosed with chronic tendonitis in both feet by the French Football Federation during an international break in October 2014.
