Nigel de Jong will be out for two to four weeks and will miss the remainder of the World Cup, the Dutch football association KNVB announced on Tuesday.

An MRI scan in the hospital confirmed that De Jong suffered a tear in his groin muscle. He will stay with the Dutch team in Brazil to work on his recovery.

De Jong limped off after nine minutes against Mexico (2-1) on Sunday in Fortaleza and was substituted by Bruno Martins Indi. A first medical examination already showed that the injury was serious.

The absence of De Jong is a major blow for the Dutch team. He was of crucial importance in the three group phase matches as defensive block on the midfield.

The Netherlands will now face Costa Rica on Saturday in the quarter-finals without him.