England's group rival Tunisia loses creative fulcrum Msakni to injury

Tunisia's mission to emerge from Group G at the World Cup is suddenly much harder after Youssef Msakni suffered a knee ligament injury while playing for his Qatari club, Al-Duhail, on Saturday.

Nabil Maaloul, manager of the Tunisian national team, said last month that his side travelling to Russia without Msakni would be like Argentina competing without Lionel Messi, and now it seems he's tempted fate. Msakni announced that he'll miss facing England, Belgium and Panama, and potential knockout opponents on Instagram.

He wrote that he's "extremely sad to have sustained this injury that deprives me of the season run-in with Duhail and participation in the World Cup with Tunisia," as translated by the Guardian's Paul Doyle.

Msakni is an imaginative midfielder, making his international debut as a teenager and becoming an integral part of his country's side. The 27-year-old has apparently attracted interested from Premier League clubs - he's dubbed by some as an ideal replacement for Riyad Mahrez at Leicester City - and hinted he could be tempted with a move away after the World Cup.

Msakni's absence means Rennes loanee Wahbi Khazri, still on the books of Sunderland, will shoulder much of the creative burden for Tunisia. The Eagles of Carthage's most prolific striker at the World Cup will probably be Taha Yassine Khenissi, who has scored five international goals and represents ES Tunis in his homeland.