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Samuel Eto'o injury latest: Cameroon striker could miss the rest of the 2014 World Cup as he is ruled out of Croatia match with knee injury

Eto'o has been ruled out of Wednesday's second group match due to an on-going knee problem

Mark Gleeson
Monday 16 June 2014 15:42 BST
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Cameroon captain Samuel Eto'o will miss Wednesday's match against Croatia and may play no further part in the World Cup because of his on-going knee injury, both he and team officials said on Monday.

The four-time African Footballer of the Year tweeted he was out of the next Group A match against Croatia in Manaus.

"The doctors confirm! I would probably not be able to play the match vs Croatia on Wed, june18th due to an injury on my knee causing me pain," he said on his account @setoo9.

"Eto'o has been told by the doctors he cannot play for the next 10 days," said the team's media spokesman Laurence Fotso, adding an extra prognosis.

If out for 10 days, it would also mean him missing their final group game against hosts Brazil in Brasilia next Monday.

Eto'o has battled with the knee problem from the end of the English league season with Chelsea.

"For three and a half months, I have not had the time to recover. You could see that even in the build-up to the World Cup I hadn't had a lot of practice until the friendly against Germany," he told Cameroon state television on Sunday.

"During the match against Mexico, I tried but after consulting the medical staff we realised that I needed a rest. Even in the ninth minute, I felt pain," he said of Friday's opening loss at the tournament to Mexico

He played in just one of the four warm-up matches that Cameroon had before heading to Brazil but did feature in Friday's 1-0 defeat by the Mexicans in Natal, where he spurned several chances for the Indomitable Lions.

Eto'o also missed training at the weekend at Cameroon's team base at Vitoria.

Reuters

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