Huddersfield Town's Yuta Nakayama to miss Qatar World Cup and the whole of Terriers' Championship relegation battle

The defender was stretchered off in the first half of Wednesday's 2-0 defeat to Sunderland.

The news is not only a massive blow for the Terriers, but the player himself.

The previous day he had been named in Japan's 26-man squad for the World Cup in Qatar.

Nakayama is the second Huddersfield defender this week to be told he needs an operation after full-back Ollie Turton. Matty Pearson is also yet to play this season after breaking his foot at the back end of last. He recently had a screw removed but a return to competitive football is still thought to be some way off.

“It is a huge blow to lose Yuta for such an extended period, but we will be supporting him every step of the way throughout his rehabilitation,” said coach Mark Fotheringham. “He is an incredible character with such an admirable work rate and enthusiasm, and that spirit will put him a great position to come through this period as quickly as possible.

“The injury obviously comes at an incredibly inopportune time for us given the number of senior players we already have missing, and on a personal note, we are all devastated that Yuta will be unable to join up with Japan for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which is an experience he had completely earned.

“We are lucky to have a first-class medical department available to us, and Yuta will be looked after by the best possible people as he returns to fitness. There is nothing at this stage to suggest that he cannot make a full and complete recovery, and we will do everything within our power to help ensure that is the case.”