PSV Eindhoven coach Peter Bosz on Friday confirmed that United States men's national team striker Ricardo Pepi will be out for "a very long time" due to an unspecified knee injury and hinted that the club may need to find a replacement.
The 22-year-old injured his knee Wednesday in a Champions League match against Liverpool, and a source told ESPN that he could miss anywhere from one to three months and also confirmed that Pepi had not torn his ACL.
Pepi scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 3-2 victory, a result that guaranteed PSV finished in the top 16 of the league phase, but he was forced to exit the match in the 76th minute after being treated for the knee injury.
Bosz on Friday said he did not want to specify the nature of the knee injury.
"I could say that but I won't. What I can say is that it is not a matter of weeks," Bosz told ESPN NL. "We have lost him for a very long time."
The injury comes at an especially inopportune time for Pepi. The El Paso, Texas native has excelled with PSV this season with 18 goals in 25 league and cup appearances, though that has often been in a substitute's role in support of usual starter Luuk de Jong.
Bosz also confirmed that the club would look for a new striker to help share the load with De Jong.
"We put our heads together right away," Bosz said. "Can we handle all three competitions alone with Luuk de Jong? That will be very difficult so we are looking."
PSV Eindhoven take on NEC Nijmegen on Saturday in the Eredivisie.
Pepi was also the subject of a $25 million transfer bid by Premier League side West Ham United, though that was rejected by PSV.
Pepi has been in excellent form at international level as well, scoring in both legs of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal matchup against Jamaica.
Now Pepi is in danger of missing the semifinal against Panama schedule for March 20 and possibly the final three days later.
Pepi's injury leaves U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino with the challenge of looking for a replacement ahead of the Nations League. He has 13 goals in 33 games for the USMNT, where he has been a regular fixture ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
AS Monaco's Folarin Balogun is expected to miss another three months after undergoing shoulder surgery in December.
Coventry City's Haji Wright is just making his way back from an ankle injury, though Norwich City's Josh Sargent recently returned to the field for the Canaries, and scored twice in a 5-1 win over Swansea City last weekend.
Information from Jeff Carlisle was used in this report.