Master cylinder question for MT A4 AWD

I have a 1999 A4 (2.8L V6, quattro) with ~ 65k miles. The other day the brake master cylinder went out. The clutch had been showing some wear, though doing ok. My mechanic said that when the master cylinder went out, it took out the clutch and both (including the flywheel) needed to be replaced. My question is could the 65k clutch been taken out when the master cylinder failed?