ROBBIE FOWLER could not resist a tongue-in-cheek pop at Sky Sports after they accidentally ruled Ciro Immobile out of the 2026 World Cup.
Italian forward Immobile suffered a hamstring injury playing for Lazio in their goalless draw with Udinese on Sunday.
He was forced off in the 29th-minute and now media reports in his homeland are claiming it was a “medium-grade” tear.
The 32-year-old now looks set to be out of action until at least the start of 2023.
However, Sky Sports slipped out when reporting the news by forgetting that the Azzurri star and his nation failed to qualify for this year’s World Cup in Qatar.
They reported: “Lazio striker Ciro Immobile a doubt for World Cup after medium-grade hamstring injury.”
Eagle-eyed Liverpool legend Fowler, 47, quickly spotted the error and shared a screenshot of the Sky Sports News ticker.
And along with tweeting the snap, he wrote: “Must be some injury… out for 4 years?”
His followers soon joined in the fun, with one commenting: “Immobile for 4 years!”
Another wrote: “That’s a long time to be Immobile.”
Roberto Mancini‘s Italy men were ever so impressive during Euro 2020 and gained plaudits for their performances.
The Italians ended up winning the tournament, lifting the trophy at Wembley after beating England on penalties.
But, just a year since the final, Italy are not taking part in the 2022 World Cup.
Now they must wait until the next tournament, which will be held in 2026 across 16 cities in three North American countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Immobile has scored six goals in seven Serie A appearances for Lazio this term and currently sits joint-top in the race for the Golden Boot.
His team are fifth in the top-flight but now face seven matches in just three weeks in all competitions before the tournament gets underway in Qatar next month.
