5 Premier League players who will miss the Qatar 2022 World Cup
The World Cup is one of the biggest football tournaments in the world and it's always an opportunity for several nations to showcase their strength.
In this year's edition of the World Cup competition, 32 nations will battle for the trophy and only one team will be crowned winner of the competition.
The Qatar 2022 World Cup competition is scheduled to commence on November 20 and end on December 18, 2022.
However, several Premier League players will miss this year's edition of the competition due to injury.
Without further ado, let's look at five Premier League players that will miss the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
#5 Arthur Melo (Liverpool)
The Brazilian is one of the Premier League players that will miss the tournament due to injury.
Arthur joined Liverpool on loan from Juventus last summer but is yet to feature for the first team since joining the club.
The 26-year-old is currently injured and he's expected to be out for three to four months and this has ended his World Cup hopes.
Arthur's absence might not be a big blow for the Brazilian national football team as Brazil's midfield depth is outstanding with the likes of Fred and Bruno Guimarães, the team is good to go.
Brazil will commence their Group G campaign in the tournament against Serbia on the November 24 and they are expected to secure all three points.
#4 Pedro Neto (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
The 22-year-old has made eight appearances for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League this season but he's yet to register a goal or an assist.
Neto is one of the the Premier League players that will miss the upcoming World Cup competition due to an ankle injury that he sustained against West Ham on October 1.
Neto's absence might not be a huge blow for Portugal because Fernando Santos’ attack is robust. With the likes of Rafael Leão and Ricardo Horta, the team is not expected to witness any squad deficiencies in the left-wing.
#3 Reece James (Chelsea)
The Englishman was in fine-form, netting one goal and registering one assist for Chelsea in seven Premier League appearances before sustaining an injury.
James sustained a knee injury in Chelsea's 2-0 away win against AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League on the October 11 and is expected to be out for at least eight weeks.
The 22-year-old will miss the Qatar 2022 World Cup and he's expected to be replaced at right-back by Trent Alexander-Aronold or possibly Kyle Walker in England's squad.
England will face Iran in Group B in their first game of the competition on November 21 and Gareth Southgate's men will be eager to secure all three points.
#2 N’Golo Kante (Chelsea)
The Frenchman is one of France's most energetic midfielders and his presence in midfield is important for Didier Deschamps.
However, Kante has only made two Premier League appearances this season due to his persistent injury woes which have kept him on the sidelines for several months.
The 31-year old will miss the World Cup as he's currently recovering after undergoing hamstring surgery.
Kante's absence is a big blow for France as he played an integral role in helping his nation secure the World Cup trophy in 2018.
It would be interesting to see if Aurélien Tchouaméni who's his most likely replacement in midfield, will perfectly replace Kante in the starting XI.
France will begin their campaign in this competition against Australia in Group D on November 22.
#1 Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
Jota only registered four appearances in the Premier League for Liverpool before he sustained an injury.
The 25-year-old sustained a muscle injury in Liverpool's 1-0 win against Manchester City on October 16.
Jota's absence is a big blow for Portugal as he's an integral member of the squad.
Portugal will begin their campaign in this year's edition of the competition against Ghana in Group H on November 24.
It will be interesting to see if the Portuguese squad will be able to cope without the Liverpool forward.