June 3 (Reuters) – Austria head coach Ralf Rangnick has decided not to call up a replacement to his World Cup squad following the loss of midfielder Christoph Baumgartner to injury, the Austrian Football Association (OFB) said on Wednesday.
Baumgartner was ruled out of the tournament after sustaining a thigh injury before Monday’s 1-0 friendly win over Tunisia.
The loss of the 26-year-old RB Leipzig player is seen as a major blow for Austria.
“This is of course very bitter news for Christoph and for us as a team,” Rangnick said.
The squad departs for the United States on Thursday ahead of their opening Group J match against Jordan on June 16 before facing Argentina and Algeria.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, editing by Ed Osmond)