PSG defenders Danilo, Nuno Mendes to leave Portugal squad in Qatar

Portugal and PSG defenders Danilo and Nuno Mendes suffered injuries after arriving in Qatar ahead of the World Cup. The Portugal internationals will be withdrawing from the competition and returning to Paris in the next few days.

While Portugal is experiencing an extraordinary World Cup run and enjoying a moment of celebration after demolishing Switzerland 6-1 in the Round of 16, not all are good news for the Iberian nation.

Already preparing for their clash against Morocco on Saturday, Portugal had to say goodbye to two of their defensive players in PSG stars Danilo and Nuno Mendes.

Both players are expected to arrive in Paris to recover from their nagging injuries in the next few days, according to Diario Record.

Danilo played against Ghana in the 3-2 win over the African nation still part of the group stage but never appeared again for Portugal in the World Cup after suffering a rib injury.

Nuno Mendes, same as Danilo, only enjoyed the group-stage play as he started in the 2-0 win over Uruguay before getting forced out of the pitch on that game with a thigh problem. He didn't even make it past halftime back then.

Danilo and Nuno Mendes suffered injuries with Portugal and will leave Qatar returning to PSG in the next few days

With not a real chance of performing in the remainder of the World Cup, let alone doing so at the top of their levels, Portugal is allowing them to return home to Paris instead of staying in Qatar.

Of course, these are the best possible news for PSG out of a rather bad situation when looking at it from the broadest angle. The schedule can't be more tightly packed full of games this season, so the sooner everybody is back and ready, the better for clubs around the continent.

While offered the chance to stay with the rest of the remaining players of Portugal in their Qatari camp, PSG asked both internationals to return to the French capital so they could be treated by the club's staff at the soonest.

It took the Portuguese football federation a few days of discussions to finally agree to free the players from the Qatar-based camp, but they finally surrendered and relinquished to PSG's request.

With PSG facing Bayern Munich in the Champions League Round of 16 next Feb. 14, this made the most sense for the Parisian in order to get everybody ready for such matchup.

Danilo is expected to be back on the pitch soon enough after returning but Mendes will need to make a strong push to recover in time for that European clash of titans after getting handed a two-month recovery timeline.