Napoli's Milik could miss 'several months' after injuring ACL with Poland

Napoli has suffered a potentially fatal blow in its quest to push Juventus for the Serie A crown, as free-scoring summer signing Arkadiusz Milik injured his ACL during Poland's 2018 World Cup qualifier on Saturday.

Milik, 22, was forced off at halftime of the victory over Denmark, after which Poland's media officer Jakub Kwiatkowski said the sinewy striker is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

"Arek Milik has undergone tests on his injured knee, which have shown damage to the anterior cruciate ligament," Kwiatkowski wrote on Twitter. "Arek will return to Napoli on Sunday. He is likely to have to undergo surgery and could be out for several months."

Napoli confirmed the attacker will undergo further tests upon his return to Italy, to ascertain the severity of the injury.

Milik, the crown jewel of Napoli's reinvestment plan following the sale of Gonzalo Higuain, was enjoying a blistering start to life at San Paolo, finding the net seven times in nine appearances after his summer move from Dutch side Ajax.

In his stead, Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri will likely call upon Manolo Gabbiadini to act as the focal point of the Partenopei attack, with diminutive wingers Dries Mertens, Jose Callejon, and Lorenzo Insigne offering support in a bid to replace the Polish star's production up front.