Denmark have been dealt a major blow as it has emerged that Sevilla midfielder Thomas Delaney will miss the remainder of the World Cup after picking up a knee injury.
The 31-year-old midfield anchor went down in the dying moments of the first half in Denmark’s group D opener against Tunisia, which his side drew 0-0, and had to be replaced by Brentford attacker Mikkel Damsgaard in first-half stoppage time.
It was initially hoped that the substitution was purely precautionary, but it has since emerged that Delaney will be leaving the camp, having suffered an injury that will leave him sidelined for a month, ruling him out even if Denmark were to make the World Cup final on December 18th.
“We will miss him, both on and off the pitch” Danish boss Kasper Hjulmand told the media. But, he added, “Other players are ready and we have a strong squad for the next matches”
Damsgaard is one option to replace him for the remainder of the tournament, while Brentford midfielder pair Matias Jensen and Christian Norgaard are also among those available to bolster the midfield for the Danes, who looked off the pace in their group opener.
Denmark, considered by many to be dark horses for the competition, face France on Saturday, who they beat twice in the most recent Nations League campaign. They then round out their group stage against Australia, and know that they will need at least one win from those two games to have any chance of qualifying for the last 16, where a potential tie with one of Saudi Arabia, Poland, Mexico or Argentina await.
