Ex-Arsenal starlet to miss World Cup after being left in tears with ACL ‘gone’ in late injury nightmare

Marcelo Flores has confirmed that he has been ruled out of the World Cup after suffering an ACL 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, he did not play for the senior side and only made their bench on one occasion.

‘My ACL is gone’

After suffering an ACL injury, Flores won’t be travelling to the World Cup, Canada manager Jesse Marsch has confirmed.

And the forward released an emotional statement following the news, citing ‘really tough times’ on his social media.

He wrote: “Sorry I haven’t gotten back to anyone yet, really tough times, my ACL is gone, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone and all the messages.

“I haven’t been on my phone or checked my messages but I promise to get around to everyone and I really appreciate the concerns, I’ll be back stronger.”

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.

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

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

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Flores then started in the subsequent goalless draw with Tunisia.

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

But Flores will now miss the tournament following his injury.

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