Austria decide against calling up replacement for injured Baumgartner ahead of World Cup

Christoph Baumgartner sustained an injury to his thigh during a friendly

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 16th, before facing Argentina and Algeria.