Uruguay’s Ronald Araujo has declined to put the club ahead of the country after the Barcelona defender opted for surgery on his injured thigh less than two months before the World Cup.
Araujo picked up the injury in Uruguay’s 1-0 defeat by Iran in a friendly on Friday and left the field after just five minutes.
Barca said the 23-year-old suffered a tendon injury in his right thigh and will undergo surgery on Wednesday, a decision that casts doubt on his World Cup availability.
“I love my country and I love my national team,” Araujo tweeted.
“After consulting several professionals, we decided that the best option is surgery. It’s not about choosing one or the other, it’s about health and getting back to 100 percent as soon as possible.”
Uruguay meet Portugal, Ghana and South Korea in Group H from 20 November to December. 18th World Cup in Qatar.