Ineos Grenadier has announced that he will not compete in the Paris-Nice race in early March.

Bernal injured his knee in a crash at the Vuelta a San Juan in January, forcing him to leave the Argentine race early and forfeit last week's Vuelta a Andalucía Ruta del Sol.

Bernal was then expected to make his European debut at Paris-Nice and was unveiled as one of the star riders from the race itself on Thursday.

However, Ineos Grenadier deputy team principal Rod Ellingworth admitted on Friday that the 2019 Tour de France winner would not be taking part in the "Race to the Sun."

"We don't know when the next race will be," Ellingworth told a press conference ahead of the opening weekend.

Bernal missed most of the 2022 season due to a life-threatening crash he suffered during training last January.

According to the team, the knee injury he suffered in Argentina was a more impactful injury with lingering bruising. They said it was unrelated to the aftereffects of last year's crash.

"This little problem has nothing to do with last year. It's just a bruise around the knee. We just don't want to put him at risk," Ellingworth told Cycling News at the Volta Ao Algarve last week.

"He's frustrated and wants to race. But you have to be strong because they always want to push. Sometimes you have to hold them back. Last year, Egan wanted to come back earlier, but we held him back."

Bernal has announced his intention to return to the Tour de France this summer, but each race he misses raises the question mark as to whether he will be able to return to a level where he can compete in the Tour de France or not at all.

"As for Egan, I don't expect him at all. I think that's unfair. He will have his own expectations. But I can't say anything about the tools yet. I'm completely open," Ellingworth said.

"You can't fault him for what he's done. Where he is right now is pretty phenomenal. He sends us videos and updates on what he's doing in training. We are running with him, giving him every opportunity and backing him 100 percent."