Ligue 1 champions are in trouble: They were humiliated by their old coach and now their best player is injured

Lille's Portugal midfielder Renato Sanches has undergone surgery on a knee injury and will be out for six weeks, the French champions announced. He’s been struggling with his knee for around a month and has finally had to admit defeat and go under the knife.

He played the entire 3-3 draw at Metz in the first round but was not in the squad for Saturday's 4-0 home loss to Nice. Lille said in a statement on Monday evening that he would begin rehabilitation this week.

The news hit Lille fans hard as they are still reeling from a painful blow they got last weekend when they were dismantled at home by their old coach Christophe Galtier. Last season, he led Lille to an unlikely title win but has decided to jump ship and become OGC Nice gaffer. In one of his first games, he returned to his old stomping ground and celebrated a 4-0 win.

Now the Dogues will be forced to kick off their Champions League campaign without one of their most consistent performers. When it rains – it pours.

Friday, 23.15: (5.20) Moreirense (3.70) Braga (1.70)

A six-week absence would means Sanches misses the club's first two Champions League group-stage matches in September. The injury also reduces the chances that Lille will sell one of their most valuable assets before the transfer window closes at the end of August. Sanches had been linked to several clubs, including Liverpool and Barcelona, and the expected fee of around $41.2 million would have solved some of the club's financial problems.

Lille had already sold central midfielder Boubakary Soumare, who played 32 times in Ligue 1 last season, to Leicester earlier in the transfer window.

Sanches, who was part of Portugal's Euro-winning team in 2016, appeared in all his country's four games in this summer's finals.