Ex-Leeds United favourite suffers World Cup injury scare with teammates 'worried'
A former Leeds United fan-favourite now faces a nervy wait to learn the extent of the injury.
Former Leeds United winger Raphinha is a doubt for Brazil’s World Cup meeting with Scotland after suffering an injury during an overnight win against Haiti.
Brazil won 3-0 in Philadelphia overnight with Manchester United striker Matheus Cunha scoring twice and Vinicius Junior adding a third before half-time. Raphinha started the game but lasted only 39 minutes when a reported hamstring issue forced him off.
The former Leeds man thought he’d opened his World Cup account but saw it ruled out for offside, going to ground shortly after. He received on-pitch medical attention before being replaced by Bournemouth winger Rayan amid reports of hamstring tightness.
Any hamstring injury would be a huge blow for Raphinha’s World Cup, with the tournament ending in just four weeks. Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti provided a brief update on the former Leeds man after his side’s win.
"Raphinha will be evaluated tomorrow, right now we don't know what happened,” he told The Mirror. “I put Rayan in because he showed good quality, he has a different profile from Raphinha, probably, it's small details that determine the entry of one player or another. It's all about small details."
Any kind of muscular injury would put Raphinha’s chances of playing again in this World Cup in doubt. Earlier this year, the winger missed almost five weeks of action with a hamstring strain, but a more minor similar issue in February saw him sit out a fortnight.
"I think we're all worried,” Raphinha’s Brazil teammate Lucas Paqueta said. “We hope it's nothing serious. I still don't know anything, he still has to have an exam."
Raphinha is yet to make his mark on the World Cup, with his overnight early substitution coming after a game on the fringes in a 1-1 draw with Morocco. The 29-year-old was unable to score in the Qatar edition four years ago and is still searching for his first goal at the major tournament.
Brazil’s final group stage game is against Scotland late on Wednesday night, UK time. Head coach Ancelotti is expected to provide a fresh update on the former Leeds star ahead of that meeting.