Estonian national team defender Maksim Paskotši is waiting for an MRI scan after an ankle problem forced him off early in Gent’s Belgian Pro League match against Cercle Brugge on Friday.
The 23-year-old centre-back lasted 33 minutes before limping to the bench. Speaking to Soccernet.ee, Paskotši said the injury has been troubling him for some time and worsened in the build-up to the game.
“I played the last three or four matches in a lot of pain, but it was more or less OK,” he said. “In the pre-match training it got much worse and on matchday it was just as bad. I tried to play, but in the end the pain was such that I could no longer run.”
Paskotši said he does not yet know the exact nature of the problem, with a scan planned for early next week. If the injury is serious, his involvement in Estonia’s March international trip could be in doubt.
Estonia are due to travel to Rwanda later in March for a UEFA mini-tournament, with hosts Rwanda, Kenya and Grenada also taking part. The opposition and dates for Estonia’s two matches have not been announced, with UEFA’s March international window running from 23 to 31 March.
Paskotši has 40 caps and one international goal. Gent are fifth in the Belgian top flight after Friday’s game, with four rounds remaining before the league splits and a place in the top six required to stay in the race for European qualification.
