Veteran FC Metz midfielder Benjamin Stambouli (35) will be out of action for the foreseeable future after sustaining "a fracture in the ribs area" in last weekend's match against Lille OSC , L'Équipe have reported.
Stambouli, who won the 2012 Ligue 1 title with Montpellier HSC, helped Metz to promotion from Ligue 2 via last season's promotion/relegation play-off, but had fallen out of the first team reckoning under coach Stéphane Le Mignan.
Le Mignan's recent sacking and the appointment of Benoît Tavenot in his place saw Stambouli return to the first team, the former Tottenham Hotspur man completing 90 minutes against Angers and starting against Lille, before being forced off with his injury.
Although the length of Stambouli's absence has not yet been confirmed, he looks certain to miss this weekend's crucial relegation showdown against AJ Auxerre , as well as a return to the Parc des Princes to meet former club Paris Saint-Germain .
