Celtic have confirmed midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng will miss "four to five weeks" due to a hamstring injury meaning he faces a race against time to be for South Korea's opening final round World Cup qualifier away to Qatar on June 8.
Ki limped off before the break in the weekend's 3-0 win away to Motherwell, with the Hoops confirming it is a hamstring injury which will rule him out for the remainder of the Scottish season.
However, the injury puts the 23-year-old former FC Seoul man's availability in doubt for the Qatar clash.
The Taeguk Warriors have been drawn in Group A alongside Qatar, Iran, Uzbekistan and Lebanon in the final round of World Cup qualifying through Asia.
South Korea have a bye in the opening round of fixtures, before they open their campaign in Doha.
Ki is a key member of the Korean national team having been only one of three foreign-based players called up for February's crucial qualifier win over Kuwait.
Follow Ben Somerford on
Follow Goal.com Asia on and for the latest in Asian footballing news, features, and analysis