Croatia’s Niko Kranjcar to miss World Cup with hamstring injury

Niko Kranjcar will miss the World Cup after injuring his hamstring in the Championship promotion playoff final on Saturday. Croatia announced that the 29-year-old will need 4-6 weeks to recover from the injury, ruling him out of this summer’s tournament.

Kranjcar injured his hamstring 33 minutes into Queens Park Rangers’ match at Wembley, eventually limping off the pitch. Scans showed that it was more than just a slight pull.

Croatia shouldn’t miss Kranjcar too much. The midfielder only started two matches in qualifying and came off the bench in four more, but it is not as if he was a key player to their team. With Ivan Perisic, Ivan Rakitic and Sammir in the squad, Croatia have plenty of options in the midfield. Once a vital player to the Croats, Kranjcar’s form and fitness has waned in recent years and so has his place on the team.

Croatia could have used Kranjcar’s experience -- he has 81 caps and played in the 2006 World Cup as well as Euro 2008 and 2012 -- but from a pure footballing standpoint, this isn’t a major loss. On a personal level, it is sad as Kranjcar’s career is winding to a close and this may have been his last chance at a major international tournament.