Inter midfield star Patrick Vieira is disconsolate as he faces another lengthy spell on the sidelines.
The ex-Arsenal man has been plagued by injury and he limped off against CSKA Moscow having only just returned from a frustrating period on the treatment table.
It is believed that Vieira could be out of action for as long as two months, but the damage to his right calf is still to be determined.
'He was very down after he came off on Tuesday,' teammate Olivier Dacourt told L'Equipe.
'It was really hard to see that. We tried as hard as we could to pick him up, but he was truly demoralised.'
Tests are still being done to ascertain the extent of the damage, but early indications suggest that Vieira may not feature until December.
04 10 2007
France Coach Raymond Domenech has left Patrick Vieira out of his squad for October's Euro 2008 qualifiers and continues to snub David Trezeguet.
Les Bleus are under pressure after losing to Scotland in September, but they are expected to claim six comfortable points when they face the Faroe Islands and Lithuania.
Vieira is struggling with fitness after being selected for the matches against Italy and Scotland last month and is yet to feature for Inter this term.
'It seems wiser to let Vieira rest and get himself back into shape,' Domenech explained. 'For the last games he wanted to be there at all costs, but this time he seemed less determined.'
Surprisingly, Domenech has left the free-scoring Trezeguet out of his 23-man squad in a decision that is likely to be linked to the pair's tempestuous relationship.
'It pays to have competition,' the ex-Monaco tactician insisted. 'There are lots of strikers and so I have to make my choice.'
France squad: Goalkeepers: Frey (Fiorentina), Landreau (PSG), Rame (Bordeaux)
Strikers: Anelka (Bolton), Benzema (Lyon), Govou (lyon), Henry (Barcelona), Saha (Manchester United)
01 10 2007
Zlatan Ibrahimovic looks set to be missing for Inter Milan's Champions League clash with PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday.
The Swedish international was stretchered off during the Nerazzurri's 4-1 win over Roma on Saturday and now looks highly unlikely to feature against the Dutch side.
With Julio Cruz suspended and Adriano and Cesar Aparecido unavailable in Europe, the absence of Ibrahimovic, who rates his chances as slim, is a real blow to Roberto Mancini.
The striker said: "It was a stud that left a small hole in my foot," he explained. "It is swollen and we have to look at it further, but I don't know if I can make it."
Inter are likely to start with Hernan Crespo and David Suazo, while the Serie A leaders also have Marco Materazzi and Patrick Vieira sidelined through injury.
