Danilo Pereira of Portugal and Paris Saint-Germain is poised to miss the rest of his country’s group stage games after fracturing ribs in training.
Fernando Santos’ team will play Uruguay on Monday at Lusail Stadium before concluding their group stage campaign against South Korea on December 2nd at Education City Stadium.
According to Cabine Desportiva, Danilo cracked ribs during a training session following Portugal’s opening game win against Ghana, which he began.
Santos will have limited choices in defense moving forward after playing as a center-back in that game rather than midfield like he is accustomed to.
Antonio Silva, a highly-rated player, is one option for Santos. The 19-year-old has exploded into the spotlight this season for Benfica and appears destined to be a future star for Portugal, having made his senior debut earlier this year.
Pepe, Portugal’s alternative center-back option to partner Ruben Dias, is 39 years old. The veteran has 129 caps to his name, with a whopping six of them coming this year.
