Super Eagles striker Obafemi Martins has been ruled out of action for six months after sustaining a hamstring injury as the Chinese Super League (CSL) club Shanghai Shenhua announced on Wednesday.
The 33-year-old was carried off midway through the first half of during Shenhua’s 2-2 draw with Kashima Antlers in the Asian Champions League.
Martins scored a hat-trick for Shanghai on Saturday in their 4-2 league win over Hebei China Fortune with the hope of earning a spot in Gernot Rohr squad for this year’s World Cup in Russia, but those ambitions have now ended.
Martins has spent the last two years at the Chinese Super League club, with a total of 31 goals being scored for the team during that period.
With the Chinese Super League scheduled to finish in November, Martins faces a race against time to return before the end of the season.
Tuesday’s draw also means Shenhua cannot qualify for the knockout rounds of the continental championship.
Shanghai Shenhua are currently sixth in the CSL standings after four games.
