Colombian striker Radamel Falcao will not recover in time from a knee injury to play in this summer's World Cup in Brazil, according to French sports daily L'Equipe, which said the physician for the Andean country's national squad will make the official announcement in the coming days.
The 28-year-old AS Monaco player tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Jan. 22 in a French Cup match and has not been able to speed along his recovery enough to compete for Colombia at soccer's premier showcase, which gets underway on June 12.
Citing sources at the French club, L'Equipe said the Colombian soccer federation is considering the best way to communicate the news about its star player, who may give a press conference in his homeland on Tuesday.
Monaco on Friday posted a photo on its Web site showing the player in uniform and practicing on the field under the headline "Falcao is training!" But L'Equipe said the image did not provide a true picture of the Colombian's condition.
Falcao's father had already said two days ago that the former Atletico Madrid star may not recover in time to represent his country in Brazil.
"Medically he's doing very well, but not soccer-wise," he said.
Since sustaining the injury during a match against a French third-division team, Falcao has been trying to beat doctors' projected recovery time of six months.
Colombia, which qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1998 thanks in part to Falcao's play, is in Group C along with Greece, Japan and the Ivory Coast.
The Colombian striker left Atletico Madrid and signed a five-year deal with Monaco in May 2013.
