Villarreal star Gerard Moreno faces a major fitness race to feature at the 2022 World Cup.

The 30-year-old has not featured for the Yellow Submarine since being forced off injured in their 1-0 defeat away at Real Betis on September 11.

The club’s medical team have been monitoring his progress, as part of a tailored recovery programme, with his return to the first team not expected until next week.

However, as per reports from Marca, that has now been extended until the end of October, due to complications over his rehabilitation.

That new return date places his World Cup chances in jeopardy with Luis Enrique due to name his squad at the start of November.

Moreno has only managed 64 minutes of international action in the last 12 months and he is without a Spain goal since March 2021

Despite that streak of inconsistency in front of goal, Enrique is still a fan of the Catalan forward, particularly due to Ansu Fati’s fitness concerns.

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