France and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has suffered a fresh injury to throw his World Cup hopes into serious doubt on the eve of the tournament.
The Ballon d'Or winner has been plagued by fitness problems in the early stages of the 2022-23 season and was dealing with muscular fatigue before travelling to Qatar.
Benzema missed Real's final two La Liga games before the break, and there were initial doubts over his availability for France's opening Group D game with Australia on November 22.
However, Benzema and fellow injury victim Raphael Varane were able to join the rest of the team for full training on Saturday in an apparent major fitness boost for Didier Deschamps.
The optimism did not last long, though, as the 34-year-old is now reported to have sustained a fresh problem which could threaten to end his World Cup dream.
© Reuters
According to L'Equipe, Benzema's new issue is a muscular one, and the striker is all but guaranteed to be absent for Tuesday's opening showdown with the Socceroos.
Benzema was pictured going for MRI scans later on Saturday evening, and there are fears that the Real Madrid man could now be forced to miss the tournament altogether.
It is understood that Benzema suffered the injury while running by himself, and Deschamps has until Monday to replace the veteran striker in his squad.
It is unclear when the results of Benzema's scans may come through, but the striker was filmed leaving the doctor's clinic as he faces a nervous wait to learn whether he can continue in Qatar.
The former Lyon attacker has only ever competed at one World Cup for France in 2014, having missed their 2018 triumph during his five-year absence from the national team.
Karim Benzema sort de la clinique Aspetar en boitant, mine très sombre en compagnie du docteur Le Gall. pic.twitter.com/eZysoPiwhI
— Loïc Tanzi (@Tanziloic) November 19, 2022
France have already been bedevilled by numerous injuries ahead of the tournament, losing Mike Maignan, Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante prior to Deschamps's squad selection.
Presnel Kimpembe and Christopher Nkunku have also had to be replaced since their call-ups, with the former failing to shake off an Achilles injury in time and being forced to pull out.
Axel Disasi took Kimpembe's place, while Nkunku suffered a serious knee injury after a training collision with Eduardo Camavinga on Tuesday and was ruled out of the World Cup on the same evening.
Deschamps called upon Randal Kolo Muani to take Nkunku's spot, and the RB Leipzig attacker is rumoured to be facing a couple of months on the sidelines.
Following Tuesday's clash with Australia, France will face off against Denmark on November 26 before rounding off Group D against Tunisia on November 30.
