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The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) has announced that Ronald Araujo will travel back to Barcelona to receive treatment for an injury just seven days before the nation's World Cup debut.
"In order to address a muscle injury, the player will undergo medical care from specialists who have previously worked with him," a statement noted. "The AUF's technical and medical staff were in agreement with this course of action."
Importantly, Araujo has not been dropped from Uruguay's squad, with head coach Marcelo Bielsa remaining optimistic that the central defender will recover in time to make a meaningful contribution this summer.
Will Ronald Araujo Be Fit Before World Cup Opener?
The AUF's statement further reveals that Araujo will be absent from training on Monday, making the trip back to Spain for urgent medical attention, before being expected to rejoin the squad on Tuesday as they prepare to head to Mexico for the start of their World Cup campaign.
Such extensive travel would be demanding for anyone, and that is without accounting for the injury itself. There is evident confidence that Barcelona's medical team can deliver swift results, though with only a week remaining before the tournament kicks off, time is clearly running short.
Uruguay's opening match of the tournament is against Saudi Arabia in Miami on June 15, leaving Araujo with an extremely tight window to recover from the muscle strain. Reports from local sources suggest those in Araujo's inner circle have no major worries about his overall participation at the World Cup, though his availability for the opening clash against Saudi Arabia appears to be seriously in question.
Six days following the Saudi Arabia fixture, Uruguay will take on Cabo Verde, also in Miami. Depending on how serious Araujo's injury proves to be, that match could represent a more realistic comeback date, though Marcelo Bielsa may prefer to keep the defender fresh for the group stage's most challenging encounter against Spain on June 27.
That concluding group match is likely to determine who finishes top of Group H, but Uruguay will be expected to advance to the knockout rounds even in the absence of the influential Araujo.
Araujo is among four central defenders named in Bielsa's squad. Captain José María Giménez is set to hold his place in the starting eleven but, should the Barcelona man be ruled out, will need to be paired with either Wolverhampton Wanderers' Santiago Bueno or Club América's Sebastián Cáceres.