Newcastle United midfielder Ki Sung-yueng has been sent home from the Asian Cup after sustaining a hamstring injury, according to Yonhap News.
The South Korean captain picked up the complaint during the first group game of the competition against the Philippines.
The 29-year-old did make a return to training on Friday afternoon, but aggravated the injury the following day and has now been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament.
Ki has 110 caps for his country, but will now return to Tyneside, with no date given on his expected return to action.
OPINION
This is pretty much every football fan’s worst nightmare. A player in a rich vein of form is forced to go away on international duty, picks up a knock in the process, and then is ruled out for their club. Ki has been one of the few bright sparks in a pretty bleak season for Newcastle, and losing him for any amount of time could be really damaging. There has been no date given on a potential return, but the fact that he has been sent home would suggest that he will not be available to play before the beginning of February at least, when the final of the Asian Cup will be held. Whether or not his absence stretches far beyond that remains to be seen, but some kind of assessment will surely be given in the coming days. For now, Newcastle fans can just wait nervously for any kind of update.