Injuries to duo overshadow Schalke’s friendly victory
| Photo: Christof Koepsel/Getty Images. |
Schalke produced a dominant display in their pre-season friendly against Regionalliga side Hessen Kassel, with goals from Kenan Karaman, Junior Adamu, Adil Aouchiche, Moussa Sylla and Satoshi Tanaka sealing a comfortable 5-0 victory. However, injuries to Robin Gosens and Dejan Ljubičić cast a shadow over an otherwise encouraging afternoon.
More than 18,000 spectators packed into the Auestadion to watch the newly promoted Bundesliga side take on the regional league outfit. The game got off to a worrying start for Schalke, as new signing Robin Gosens was on the receiving end of a heavy challenge inside the opening minute.
The left-back was left in visible pain and required lengthy treatment before attempting to continue. However, despite battling on, the Germany international was eventually forced off after just 13 minutes.
Schalke’s injury concerns worsened after the break when midfielder Dejan Ljubičić was also forced off. The summer signing limped from the pitch, with the extent of both injuries still unclear.
While no official diagnosis has yet been confirmed, there is cautious optimism that neither issue is serious, as both Gosens and Ljubičić were able to leave the field under their own power.
Speaking after the match in Kassel, Schalke head coach Miron Muslić was unable to provide a further update.
“Unfortunately, we don’t yet have a precise diagnosis,” Muslić told RUHR24.
Both players are set to undergo MRI scans in Gelsenkirchen to determine the severity of their injuries.
