Hoffenheim dealt double injury blow as Machida suffers ACL tear
| Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images |
New Hoffenheim signing Koki Machida faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Saturday’s 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen.
The Bundesliga club confirmed the Japanese centre-back’s serious injury on Sunday.
Midfielder Wouter Burger picked up an ankle injury in the same match and will be unavailable until further notice.
“This is bitter news for us and of course for Koki himself. As a new signing, he integrated excellently into the team in a very short time and has already played an important role in our defense. Against this backdrop, his absence hurts us,” said Andreas Schicker, TSG’s managing director for sport.
“We will support Koki with every resource at our disposal and stand firmly by his side. We must expect a longer layoff in his case. Therefore, we will once again keep an eye on the transfer market for a possible replacement at left centre-back.”
On Burger’s situation, Schicker struck a more optimistic tone:
“In Wouter’s case, we are confident that he won’t be out for too long.”
