Serious knee injury feared after Arkadiusz Milik is hurt playing for Poland

Arkadiusz Milik played well in the first half of a 3-2 win for Poland over Denmark in World Cup qualifying action, but not all the news is good for the Napoli striker — he suffered an apparent knee injury during the first half and is undergoing tests to determine the extent of the damage.

The early news isn’t good, with a torn ligament “suspected” in his left knee. Worse, the ligament that’s feared to be damaged is his anterior cruciate ligament, which if it is torn would mean the end of his season.

Milik first appeared to take a knock when he drew the penalty that lead to Poland’s second goal, getting his left leg hooked by a tackle while using it to balance a try at a sliding shot on goal. Milik needed a moment to get back up after that and appeared a bit slowed. Just a few minutes later, he took another hard shot to the lower part of his left leg, and needed help from the trainers before he could get back into the match. He was clearly hurting when he walked to the dressing room at halftime, and he didn’t come back out afterwards.

While it’s encouraging that Milik was able to see out the last few minutes of the half before leading the game, the entire situation is still rather concerning. Milik was clearly in a lot of pain, and that’s never good. If Milik is out for the long term, Napoli need Manolo Gabbiadini to find his form, fast. And if he’s out for the long term, it’s a damn shame, because he was enjoying a fantastic start to his season.