Borussia Dortmund captain Marco Reus is again in danger of missing a major tournament for Germany.
The 33-year-old Reus was taken off on a stretcher in the first half of Dortmund’s Ruhr derby against Schalke on Saturday with what looked like a serious ankle injury.
Reus was in tears after bending his right ankle unnaturally in a challenge for the ball with Schalke’s Florian Flick. Gio Reyna came on for Reus while Flick was able to continue after treatment on his knee.
Dortmund coach Edin Terzić only reluctantly spoke about Reus’ injury after the game, when the length of the player’s absence was still undetermined.
“It looks like the ligaments were injured, but I don’t think it will last quite that long,” Terzić told Sky TV.
Germany coach Hansi Flick included Reus in his squad for upcoming international games against Hungary and England and was counting on the attacking midfielder as a key member of his World Cup squad.
The tournament starts in Qatar on Nov. 20. Germany plays Japan in Doha three days later. Spain and Costa Rica are also in the group.
Reus has been plagued by injuries at inopportune times throughout his career. He missed Germany’s World Cup win in 2014 with an ankle injury sustained in a warm-up game, and a groin injury ruled him out of the 2016 European Championship. He played in Germany’s unsuccessful World Cup defense in 2018 but skipped the next European Championship to recover after his season with Dortmund.
There was no official word from Dortmund on the seriousness of Reus’ injury. The player initially received treatment in the changing room before halftime and was taken to a hospital.
Youssoufa Moukoko’s 79th-minute goal was enough for Dortmund to beat Schalke 1-0.
Reus later thanked fans on Instagram for their well wishes.
“I will be back soon! Congratulations to the team,” Reus wrote. “I will never give up.”
Reus has 15 goals in 48 games for Germany.
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