Brian Brobbey has suffered a small tear in his thigh, journalist Mounir Boualin reported on Tuesday via X, citing sources. The Sunderland forward withdrew from the Netherlands squad on Monday and informed national-team coach Xavi.
Several weeks on the sidelines await Brobbey with the muscle injury. He will definitely miss the Nations League matches against Greece (13 November) and Germany (16 November).
Brobbey also looks set to miss several Sunderland matches. The Premier League strugglers resume their season against Aston Villa on 21 November, then face Jagiellonia Białystok in the Europa League group stage.
Against Chelsea last weekend, the former Ajax player earned praise for his performance in a 1-0 win. "There is nobody like Brobbey in the Premier League. He is strong and powerful, but he also got into goalscoring positions often," observed former England international Dion Dublin, an analyst on Match of the Day. "The fans love him. He is a real centre-forward; defenders hate him. He is exactly what Sunderland need."
Local outlet Sunderland Echo gave Brobbey an 8 for his performance against Chelsea. "He produced an outstanding performance," the newspaper wrote.
With 17 caps for the Netherlands, the 24-year-old Sunderland forward has scored four goals in those appearances.
The Amsterdam-born striker last played for the Netherlands at the end of September. Brobbey went off injured after just 35 minutes in the 1-1 home match against Germany.