Marseille’s Derek Cornelius risks lengthy absence, Canada manager Jesse Marsch reveals

Marseille’s Derek Cornelius risks lengthy absence, Canada manager Jesse Marsch reveals There are mounting fears that Olympique de Marseille defender Derek Cornelius (28) may be consigned to the sidelines for the foreseeable future. It comes after the defender was transported to hospital on Wednesday, as confirmed by the Canadian Football Federation. Jesse Marsch’s comments on Thursday have only deepened the concern. Cornelius returned to Marseille over the summer following a loan spell at Rangers last season. The defender has been used sparingly so far, playing just 26 minutes of football in Ligue 1 and a further 67 minutes in the UEFA Europa League. His start against Besiktas in the UEL suggested that he would be used as a rotation option in what is a threadbare OM squad.  However, his injury would constitute a further blow for Bruno Genesio. As revealed on  CANMNT’s  official  X  account, Cornelius sustained a non-contact lower-body injury during Wednesday’s training session in Toronto and was subsequently transported to a local hospital. Marsch detailed how Cornelius suffered the injury. “At the end of the training session, we did an exercise with three teams. It was quite competitive. Derek and Jonathan (David) , who are like best friends, were chasing the ball in the corner, and as Cornelius leaned to win it back, his knee got caught in the turf, which forced the hip to react, so it’s a hip injury,” said the Canada manager. It could keep him away from the pitch for some time. “We think that it could be what Promise David had (a tendon rupture in the hip, sustained back in February). We are crossing our fingers that it isn’t too serious, but it risks keeping him away from the pitch for several months,” added Marsch. GFFN | Luke Entwistle