AAP Soccer

Socceroo Hrustic injured before World Cup

By AAP Newswire

Oct 20, 2022

The Socceroos' attacking linchpin Ajdin Hrustic won't play again before the World Cup after suffering an ankle injury in Italy.

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Hrustic was hurt playing forÂ Hellas Verona with the attacking midfielder damaging ligaments in his left ankle.

The 26-year-old, a cornerstone of the Socceroos' qualification campaign for the World Cup in Qatar starting on November 20, won't require surgery, Hellas say.

But the club added the ailment will sideline Hrustic for three weeks, meaning he will arrive under a fitness cloud when the Socceroos converge in Doha in mid-November.

Hrustic was a standout in Australia's qualifying campaign and a certainty to be selected in the Socceroos' 26-man squad for the gloabal showpiece.

Australia and other Cup participants have until Friday to submit a provisional squad of between 35 and 55 players to FIFA.

The provisional squads won't be made public but only those named can be selected for the final 26-man squad, to be submitted on November 14 and announced the next day.

Australia's World Cup opener against France is on November 22 (November 23 AEST) with group games against Tunisia and Denmark to follow.