Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse will miss the World Cup after being carried off with a broken leg in France's friendly against China tonight.
Cisse fell awkwardly in a challenge early in the first half of the match in St Etienne.
The 24-year-old, whose future at Anfield is uncertain, missed the majority of the 2004-05 season with a similar injury.
The former Auxerre forward scored in last month's FA Cup final victory over West Ham but recently criticised manager Rafael Benitez and had looked likely to leave Anfield after the World Cup.
He was linked with moves to Marseille and Tottenham throughout the season but insisted during the last transfer window that he wanted to stay with Liverpool.
The break is to his right tibia, the opposite leg to which he broke at Ewood Park in October 2004.
In that instance he was initially ruled out for the rest of the season but returned sooner than expected and featured in Liverpool's Champions League final win over AC Milan last year.
Former Arsenal and Manchester City striker Nicolas Anelka, now of Fenerbahce, and Barcelona's Ludovic Giuly are potential replacements for Cisse in the France squad.
