Belgium are bracing themselves for the loss of Vincent Kompany from their World Cup squad after the Manchester City captain limped out of a pre-tournament friendly against Portugal with yet another injury.

Kompany was sent for a scan on Sunday to determine the severity of the discomfort he felt in his groin during the second half of Saturday’s 0-0 draw in Brussels.

Roberto Martínez, the Belgium manager, sounded downbeat about the experienced defender’s prospects of being available for the tournament, saying that Kompany "knows when something is not right".

Kompany’s absence could throw Martínez’s preparations into disarray as the former Everton manager, who names his final 23-man squad on Monday, may now have to abandon his plans to play with a three-man defence.

If he is ruled out of the trip to Russia, where Belgium face England in the group stage, it would be the second consecutive international tournament that Kompany has missed. The 32-year-old was absent during Belgium’s Euro 2016 campaign, when they were defeated in the quarter-finals by Wales, because of a thigh injury.

Kompany is one of the senior figures in the Belgium squad, and was seen leading the pre-match team talk in a huddle before kick-off against Portugal. He seemed to stretch his leg in a second-half challenge on Gelson Martins, and was seen talking to Martínez before heading down the tunnel.