Thiago Silva will be sidelined for up to "several weeks" after suffering a thigh injury in Paris Saint-Germain's friendly win over Napoli on Monday.
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Silva, 29, pulled up just 12 minutes into the game at the Stadio San Paolo after feeling pain in his right thigh. He was quickly substituted and, after returning to Paris on crutches, he underwent an MRI scan on Tuesday which revealed the extent of the injury is not as serious as first feared by club's medical staff.
A statement published on the club's official website on Wednesday morning read: "The examinations carried out on Thiago Silva yesterday (ultrasound and MRI) confirmed a muscle injury in the right hamstring. He will be sidelined for several weeks."
The PSG captain, who has already suffered two serious thigh injuries since moving to the Parc des Princes in 2012, is expected to miss at least three of his club's league games, as well as his country's friendlies with Colombia and Ecuador in the United States in early September.
However, he should be ready to feature in the French champions' opening Champions League group-stage game on Sept. 16-17.
PSG coach Laurent Blanc has come in for criticism for allowing Silva to play in the game in Naples, which was organised as part of the transfer deal that took Edinson Cavani to PSG last summer, just three days after the Brazilian had played in his club's opening Ligue 1 fixture and barely a week after his return from holiday.
L'Equipe reported on Wednesday that Silva had played in PSG's 2-2 draw with Reims as a result of a knee problem for Zoumana Camara, who had featured in the former AC Milan centre-back's stead in the traditional season-opening Trophee des Champions the previous weekend.
Blanc's former international teammate, Frank Leboeuf, defended the coach and said Silva should take most responsibility for the problem.
"It's very difficult for the medical team to give an opinion," he told RMC. "The player owns his own body.
"The players are sometimes in denial about their injuries. I think he started again a little early in terms of training, and I didn't expect to see him play against Reims.
"With the emotions and negative vibes of the World Cup, it would have been a good thing to pay attention to his health. He carries the main responsibility."