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US football star Christian Pulisic has sustained a fracture in his right leg during the team’s World Cup defeat to Belgium — an injury that is expected to keep him out of action for several weeks.

According to information initially reported by The Athletic and later confirmed by an anonymous source on Thursday, Pulisic suffered a bone bruise along with a microfracture affecting both his tibia and fibula.

The US Soccer Federation has not yet released an official statement regarding the diagnosis.

The incident took place in the 52nd minute of Monday’s round-of-16 match in Seattle, which ended in a 4-1 loss for the USA. Pulisic collided with Belgium captain Youri Tielemans while attempting a shot on goal.

Although he stayed on the pitch for a short time after the collision, Pulisic was clearly in discomfort and was substituted in the 59th minute, with Sebastian Berhalter coming on to replace him.

Pulisic’s injury was confirmed to be serious following the match.

He is expected to resume training before AC Milan’s Serie A season opener against Torino on 23 August.

Pulisic’s World Cup campaign was a difficult one — he did not manage to score, missed a match due to a calf problem, and was forced to come off early in two other games.

The 27-year-old, who will celebrate his 28th birthday in September, has scored 30 goals in 90 appearances for the United States and is preparing to begin his fourth season with AC Milan.

Despite initial worries about Pulisic’s fitness, the US began their World Cup campaign strongly. He was substituted at halftime during their opening 4-1 win over Paraguay because of a calf issue and subsequently missed their 2-0 victory against Australia.

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino opted to rotate his squad for the final group stage fixture after securing first place in the group, a decision that led to a 3-2 defeat.

In the Round of 32, the USA recorded a 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, although star striker Folarin Balogun was shown a red card following a VAR review.

The former Arsenal forward was initially handed a one-match suspension, but the ban was lifted after an intervention from US President Donald Trump, allowing him to play in the last-16 clash against Belgium.

However, Balogun’s return to the starting line-up did little to help as the World Cup co-hosts crashed out following a 4-1 defeat to the Belgian side.

Belgium will now go on to face Spain in the World Cup quarterfinals on Friday.