Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke is set to miss the rest of the season after suffering an Achilles tendon injury in training, Press Association Sport understands.
The Belgium international is set to undergo a scan later on Thursday night but his place in this summer's World Cup finals appears to be in serious doubt.
Benteke is believed to have suffered the injury during training ahead of Villa's Barclays Premier League clash with Fulham on Saturday.
The extent of the injury was not immediately apparent and Benteke was not noted as a doubt by boss Paul Lambert during his regular Thursday afternoon press conference.
Benteke is Villa's top scorer this season with 11 goals, despite initially struggling to recapture the form which made him so highly prized in his debut Premier League season last year.
The 23-year-old had once again found himself increasingly linked with a move away from Villa Park this summer but such talk is also set to be put on hold until the extent of his injury becomes apparent.
Source: PA
