Borussia Dortmund midfielder, Marco Reus, is out of Germany's crucial EURO 2016 qualifiers against Poland and Scotland, due to a toe problem. The injury is said to be a broken or fractured toe. No timescale has been set on his return, though these injuries normally take around a month to recover from.
DFB confirm the news, Reus back in Dortmund for treatment
The German Football Association (DFB) confirmed the news on Thursday morning and suggested that Reus picked up the injury during Dortmund's 3-1 win against Hertha BSC at the weekend. The statement on the DFB website also says that the problem was picked up on by their medical staff and he has already left the team's headquarters in Frankfurt, heading back to Dortmund for further treatment.
Of course, the 25-year-old midfielder is no stranger to knocks and niggles. He has missed 30 games for BVB since the beginning of the 2013-14 season, according to transfermarkt, and also the Germans' victorious 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign. Reus' ankles have given him particular problems but he seems to have gotten over the worst of those, though now the concern turns to whether or not this is a fracture or a clean break.
A month out could see an in-form Reus miss crucial games
It comes as a blow to Thomas Tuchel, who had Reus firing on all cylinders coming into this international break. In his seven competitive games this term, the highly sought-after winger has notched up six goals and one assist. If he is absent for around a month, then BVB will be without one of their most crucial players for a very tricky period in the season.
A four week lay-off would see him return just in time for a trip to the Allianz Arena to face Bayern Munich, but he would miss games against Hannover 96, Bayer Leverkusen, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and SV Darmstadt 98 in the Bundesliga. The clash against FK Krasnodar in their opening UEFA Europa League group stage match also seems out of reach, and face a race to be fit for the tie against PAOK Saloniki.