Laporte ruled out of Euro 2016 following surgery

Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte underwent surgery on his leg injury on Tuesday, and is expected to be out of action for three to four months.

The 21-year-old, who has been strongly linked for a possible transfer to Manchester City, and is also reported to have been tempting Barcelona, suffered the damaging injury in a friendly against Scotland Under-21s last Thursday.

It serves as a cruel blow to Bilbao's hopes of European qualification and further progression in the Europa League, but most tellingly, it sees him out of contention for Euro 2016.

Laporte has only represented France at a youth level, meaning he is still eligible to represent Spain since he moved to the Iberian peninsula back in 2010. The issue to his leg - a "fracture-dislocation of the fibula and right ankle" - makes the defender wait for his senior international bow, however, and also puts a summer move from the Basque Country in severe doubt.

Duties in the centre of defence for Bilbao are likely to fall to Xabier Etxeita and Carlos Gurpegi for the remainder of the campaign.