Roma and France centre-back Philippe Mexes is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after damaging cruciate ligaments in his left knee against Juventus on Sunday. Mexes was injured six minutes into the second half and the extent of the damage was discovered during tests on Monday.
Roma announced that Mexes will need an operation and after that he will need three or four months to recover, meaning he should at least be fit for the start of next season.
However, he could have played his last game for the club as his contract is due to run out at the end of the season and talks over a new deal have stalled amid rumoured interest from AC Milan.
The injury rules the defender out of France’s next Group D match, in Belarus on 3 June, and makes him doubtful for the trips to Albania and Romania in September. France lead their section by four points from Belarus following a 2-0 victory against Luxembourg last month, a match in which Mexès opened the scoring.
