Czech Republic captain Tomas Rosicky was ruled out of the rest of the European Championship on Saturday after picking up a thigh injury.
After undergoing a scan in a hospital, the team announced at its training base in Tours that Rosicky had suffered a partial tear of a thigh muscle in the team’s 2-2 draw with Croatia on Friday.
Team doctor Petr Zeman said Rosicky "for 100 per cent won’t be able to play any game in the next few days, definitely not against Turkey. We think that he will not be able to play in any match in the weeks to come at this tournament."
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Zeman estimated it will take the midfielder three to six weeks to recover.
The month-long tournament ends on July 10.
Rosicky, who will stay with the squad in France, was unable to run but had to stay on against Croatia as the team’s three substitutes had already been used.
The Czechs have one point so far and will likely need to beat Turkey in their final Group D match on Tuesday to have a chance of advancing.
Rosicky’s absence will be a major blow.
With his technical skills and creativity, the 35-year-old playmaker is the team’s undisputed leader but his career for the country and the club has been marred by repeated injuries. He missed the entire tournament in 2008 and only made two appearances in 2012.
He had only just recovered from injuries to play at Euro 2016 after making only one appearance, as a 71st minute substitute, for Arsenal last season.
