Rennes could be without Ligue 1’s leading scorer Esteban Lepaul for Thursday’s UEFA Europa League meeting with Juventus after he suffered a suspected ankle injury.

The 26-year-old scored a hat-trick in Sunday’s Ligue 1 match against Paris FC, but was forced to leave the field during added time as Rennes pushed for a winning goal.

Rennes manager Franck Haise said Lepaul’s early exit had raised serious doubts over whether he would recover in time for the match against Juventus.

“Knowing him, if he is coming off in added time at 3-3, while we’re in the ascendancy, because he tells me that he can’t continue, I don’t see how, in the very short term, and Thursday is very short term, he can play,” Haise told the media.

“If he couldn’t keep going, I know that it is a real problem.”

Lepaul is due to undergo further medical examinations as Rennes seek to establish the full extent of the injury and how long he may be unavailable.