Georginio Wijnaldim opts against surgery to fix fractured tibia, likely to miss the 2022 FIFA World Cup

The Dutch national football team has seemingly been dealt a devastating blow. Their star midfielder Gini Wijnaldumis on course to miss the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup after reportedly opting against surgery to bolster the pace of his recovery from an injury that he recently suffered.

The Dutchman chose to follow a more conservative path to recovery instead of going under the knife. This decision may just prove to be the reason behind his absence in the upcoming clash of nations.

Roma'sgeneral managerTiago Pinto released a statement addressing the matter shortly after he suffered the injury. Herevealedthat Wijnaldum will likely return to play with Roma as late as January.

"I think he will be our big January reinforcement. We signed him for the whole season, but we'll wait for him in January. It was unfortunate. In a week, it looked like he had been here for a year," said Pinto in his statement.

Although the Dutch are yet to eliminate Wijnaldum from their squad for the World Cup, which is slated to take place between the months of November and December, his estimated time of recovery of at least three months effectively rules out the possibility of him stepping onto the field sporting the iconic orange jersey.

Wijnaldum suffered the fateful injury while training with the Italian team. Medical tests that were conducted shortly thereafter revealed that he had sustained afracture to the tibia in his right leg.

The Dutchman joined the ranks of the Stadio Olimpico-based outfit in August on a 12-month loan from French kingpins, Paris Saint-Germain. However, he has hardly seen any action with his new side.