Renato Sanches has returned from parent club Bayern Munich to Swansea after treatment for a hamstring injury and Swans boss Carlos Carvalhal has warned the midfielder to be prepared for World Cup heartbreak.
Sanches will not be able to play in Sunday's fixture against Premier League champions Manchester City, and Carvalhal has told the Portugal star that he is also unlikely be able to available for the World Cup.
The Swansea boss said: ''I don't think he has any chance to go to the World Cup. I told him to put the speculation down...Even if he plays well in the last five games it will be very difficult for him.''
Carvalhal added that: ''He was disappointed to hear that, but this is football and he was injured. He must be 100 per cent because if he is training with adrenaline and expectations that he can go to the World Cup, then the problem of injury again is very high.''
He noted: ''Sanches is training with the physio and doing conditioning work. He needs a minimum of one week before he trains with the team and next week he can be involved. We have three weeks to finish the season, so we hope to recover him in the final week.''
Sanches' move to Swansea has not met with expectations, the midfielder provided no goals or assists in his first 15 outings, before suffering a host of injuries that have hampered his game time.
The Swans will visit City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, as the hosts celebrate their Premier League champions status.
Carvalhal said: ''We are very proud to do the guard of honour for them because they are justified champions this season. They are the best team in England and to go to their stadium is very hard. We must do our part to try and achieve something. If we do that, let's see what happens.''