Chelsea midfielder Yossi Benayoun will miss Israel's Euro 2012 qualifiers against Croatia and Greece and faces several months on the sidelines after picking up a new injury, the Israel Football Association said.
A scan carried out on Tuesday revealed that Benayoun is suffering from a tear to his Achilles tendon as well as a calf muscle injury.
"I arrived with hope of helping the national team but unfortunately this is not a simple injury... an additional test will reveal what needs to be done," Benayoun was quoted as saying on the Israel Football Association website.
Benayoun, a vital component in Israeli coach Luis Fernandez's plans, was already a doubt for the fixtures against Croatia in Tel Aviv on Saturday and Greece in Athens next Tuesday due to the existing calf strain.
Benayoun scored a hat-trick in Israel's opening Group F qualifier at home to Malta and then participated in the goalless draw against Georgia in Tbilisi.
After two matches, Croatia lead the group on four points, ahead of Israel on goal difference, Latvia are third with three points, Georgia and Greece have two and Malta are bottom without a point.
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