Ex-Arsenal starlet in tears as injury scare puts World Cup in doubt months after switching allegiance

Marcelo Flores appears to be doubtful for the World Cup with Canada after suffering a nasty-looking injury for Tigres UANL.

The winger came off the bench during their CONCACAF Champions Cup final defeat to Mexican rivals Toluca on Saturday.

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However, 15 minutes after being brought on, Flores was substituted due to a knee injury.

In an attempt to dribble away from the defender, he appeared to go down and awkwardly twist his right knee.

Flores clutched it in visible agony and medical staff made their way onto the pitch to treat him.

The 22-year-old was able to get up and start walking off the pitch, but was seemingly in tears when sitting on the bench.

Tigres went on to lose the match 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at the end of extra time.

Flores is in his third year at the club after joining from the Arsenal academy in 2023.

He made 49 appearances at youth level for the Gunners, scoring 15 goals and assisting six.

However, Flores did not play for the senior side and only made their bench on one occasion.

Will Flores play for Canada at the World Cup?

Flores was born in Ontario, Canada to a Canadian mother of English descent and Mexican father Ruben, who also played football.

His international career began in the Mexican youth setup and he later won three senior caps.

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However, Flores had a request to switch his international allegiance to Canada approved by FIFA in February.

The forward made his debut for Les Rouges a month later during a 2-2 friendly draw against Iceland.

Flores then started in the subsequent goalless draw with Tunisia.

Head coach Jesse Marsch named him to a 32-man preliminary squad as part of their preparations for the World Cup.

But Flores could now miss the tournament following his injury.

Co-hosts Canada are in Group B with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar and Switzerland.