Hamsik withdraws from Slovakia squad

Naples, March 22: Marek Hamsik, who won his country's Golden Ball for the seventh time recently, has pulled out of Slovakia's squad for the King's Cup after having his tonsils removed.

The Napoli captain had been due to feature in his country's opening game against the United Arab Emirates on Thursday at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, but will now stay in Italy to recover.

The 30-year-old missed a handful of training sessions in January with tonsillitis and a decision was made on Wednesday to undergo a small operation to remove his tonsils.

"Marek Hamsik was operated on this morning at the Ruesch Clinic by Professor D'Angelo, who practiced a tonsillectomy," read a statement on Napoli's official website.

"The surgery was perfectly successful. Hamsik will return home tomorrow and will not participate with the Slovakian national team."

"Hamsik is expected to return home tomorrow and won't be involved in Slovakia's training camp before their home friendly against the Netherlands," the club statement added.

The King's Cup also features Gabon and defending champions Thailand, with the final taking place on Sunday.

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— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) March 21, 2018

Hamsik, who has scored six goals for Napoli this season, has missed several training sessions with tonsillitis.

Napoli are two points behind six-time defending champions Juventus in Serie A as they chase a first Scudetto since 1990.

Source: OPTA