New Team Melli hero Ashkan Dejagah is expected to miss Iran's opening fourth round 2014 World Cup qualifier against Uzbekistan after sustaining a hamstring injury while playing with Bundesliga club Wolfsburg.
The 25-year-old strained his right hamstring last weekend in the clash with Werder Bremen, having to be stretchered off the field.
The initial prognosis on Dejagah's injury was it was only a minor problem, however Iran's team doctor Parhan Khanlari has now said he will miss the June 3 clash in Uzbekistan in a major blow for Team Melli who haven't qualified for the World Cup finals since 2006.
“Dejagah may return sooner than the Wolfsburg’s doctors have diagnosed," Khanlari said according to The Tehran Times.
"It is not impossible, it depends on his body’s ability to recover. But he will likely miss the match against Uzbekistan."
The Tehran-born Berlin-raised striker, who is a former Germany youth international, had made an impressive long-awaited Iran debut when he scored a double in February's 2-2 World Cup qualifier draw with Qatar.
After the Uzbekistan game in Tashkent, Iran play Qatar in Tehran on June 12.