MEXICO CITY - Peru international defender Anderson Santamaria faces at least six months on the sidelines after suffering a serious knee injury while playing for Mexican club Atlas.

The 27-year-old was forced off during his team's 4-0 victory over Correcaminos Premier in a pre-season friendly on Sunday.

Subsequent scans showed the center-back sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee and will require surgery, Atlas said on Wednesday.

The injury means Santamaria, who has been capped 14 times since his international debut in 2017, will miss the start of Peru's qualifying campaign for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Peru begin their qualifiers with a clash against Paraguay in Asuncion on March 26.