The Associated Press

Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal was scheduled for knee surgery Wednesday, just five weeks before his country’s World Cup opener.

Vidal visited Dr. Ramon Cugat, a specialist in Barcelona, on Tuesday. Vidal was accompanied by doctors from Chile’s national team and Juventus.

“The (recovery) period is the most important question and the one that worries us the most,” Chile’s team physician, Dr. Giovanni Carcuro, said Tuesday night. “Unfortunately, in these cases, it’s not something so definite. We can say that the player is by no means ruled out from the World Cup. But we don’t either have lots of time and giant and super-relaxed deadlines.”

Juventus, which clinched the Italian league title last weekend, said Vidal will “undergo arthroscopic surgery on the lateral meniscus of his right knee.”

The 26-year-old has scored eight goals in 46 appearances for Chile, which plays Australia on June 13 in its World Cup opener. European champion Spain and the Netherlands also are in Group B.

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