South Korea captain Son Heung-min will have surgery to stabilize a fracture around his left eye on a facial injury, jeopardizing his availability for the World Cup in Qatar.
Son, was helped off the field during the first half of Tottenham's Champions League March at Marseille on Tuesday after taking a shoulder to the face.
The Premier League club didn’t say how long it expects Son to be sidelined.
“Following surgery,” the team said, “Son will commence rehabilitation with our medical staff, and we shall update supporters further in due course.”
The World Cup starts on November 20, and South Korea is one of the last teams to play its first group game — against Uruguay on November 24. Portugal and Ghana are also in Group H.
Tottenham has games against Liverpool and Leeds before the Premier League is paused for the World Cup.