Canada’s Tajon Buchanan to undergo surgery after breaking tibia in training

Winger Tajon Buchanan is scheduled to undergo surgery Wednesday after breaking his tibia in practice ahead of Canada’s Copa America quarterfinal against Venezuela.

Canada Soccer said the Inter Milan attacker sustained an injury to his lower leg during training Tuesday in nearby Fort Worth. The training session was then cancelled after Buchanan was taken away in an ambulance.

Canada Soccer said in a short statement that Buchanan was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation and treatment. A spokesman later confirmed that surgery was scheduled to repair a broken tibia.

Buchanan signed with Inter from Belgium’s Club Brugge in January, becoming the first Canadian to play in Serie A.

The team is preparing to face Venezuela in the quarterfinals on Friday — the first time Canada has advanced out of the group stage of the Copa América, which is a South American tournament with guest teams.

Buchanan, 25, has been capped 40 times by Canada, scoring four times, and has featured in all three games at the Copa — both as a starter and off the bench.

In the last two years the native of Brampton, Ont., has gone from playing in the MLS (New England Revolution), to the Belgian league (Club Brugge) to a January transfer to Inter Milan of Italy’s Serie A.

Canada finished second in Group A at the Copa with a 1-1-1 record, scoring just once, and will face Group B winners Venezuela on Friday in Arlington, Texas, at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

Venezuela is currently 54th in FIFA’s world rankings, compared to Canada’s 48th, but has only lost once this year (2-1 to Italy in a friendly) and is undefeated at the Copa (3-0-0), having beaten Ecuador, Mexico and Jamaica.

— With files from The Canadian Press