Andrea Belotti’s doctor has revealed the Torino striker will be sidelined for up to four weeks with a knee injury.
The 23-year-old has been sidelined since being strechered off at the end of Torino’s 2-2 draw with Verona at the start of the month.
Belotti missed Italy’s last two World Cup qualifiers and is a major doubt for their crucial play-off against Sweden at the start of November.
“This course follows a normal practice, a three to four week injury,” Renato Misichi told Toro Scatenato, via Football Italia.
“That’s clinical healing though, evaluated by a doctor, the technical recovery is something else. A good part of Belotti’s game is based on physicality, so he needs to be perfectly ready physically and evaluate when he’s fully ready.
“It’s a delicate topic though, there’ll be a tug-of-war. It’s true that [Ciro] Immobile is doing well, but Italy feel Belotti’s absence.
“So it is absolutely likely that the national team will insist on having Belotti for the play-offs, but on the other side there’s Torino, for whom Belotti is an important asset, so they won’t want to risk him.”
Belotti was heavily linked with a €100m (£89.8m) move to the Premier League over the summer after enjoying a breathtaking campaign for Torino last season.
The Italy international is yet to hit the same heights this season, but Torino have managed to stay in the mix for a European position in the first eight matches.
Belotti has only managed three goals in seven league appearances this season, but those goals have won his side three points.
