The Swiss star has been ruled out of the World Cup quarter-final with Argentina
Johan Manzambi of Switzerland
Newcastle United transfer target Johan Manzambi of Switzerland
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Newcastle United transfer target Johan Manzambi has been ruled out of Switzerland's World Cup quarter-final with Argentina tonight in a huge blow for the attacking midfielder.
Manzambi has been one of Switzerland's key players in the tournament, but missed their last-16 win over Colombia with a knee injury, although they had hoped it would have healed after a rest.
However, Swiss manager Murat Yakin has confirmed the 20-year-old is still unable to take part in the game against Lionel Messi and Co, which gets under way at 2am UK time in Kansas.
"Unfortunately, Johan Manzambi's injury hurts us enormously," Yakin said.
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"It was a real shock. He had momentum on his side. You could see the joy with which he was playing and also how his team-mates responded.
"You could see how well everything had been functioning during this tournament. Unfortunately, he can't play."
"That's very painful, but we'll absorb that as a team."
Johan Manzambi of Switzerland
Johan Manzambi in action for Switzerland at the World Cup
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Newcastle are confident of completing a deal worth £49m for Manzambi agreeing the fee with his club SC Freiburg.
United representatives have secured a verbal agreement with the player, but he won't finalise any move until after Switzerland's World Cup involvement is over.
The Swiss are underdogs against Argentina in tonight's quarter-final, with the winners progressing to face either England or Norway in the sem-final.
Manzambi has been one of the stars of the tournament so far, scoring twice in the 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the group stages before bagging the win in the 2-1 win over Canada which meant the Swiss finished top of the group.
He scored seven times for Bundesliga outfit Freiburg last season, and added a further nine assists in 47 appearances in all competitions.