Mainz confirm new major surgery for Burkardt
As confirmed by the club, FSV Mainz 05 striker and former Germany U21 captain Jonathan Burkardt has undergone another surgical procedure on his knee.
The 22-year-old will be sidelined for a minimum of four months.
FSV Mainz 05 confirmed on Sunday that once promising developmental prospect Jonathan Burkardt again went under the knife last Tuesday in an effort to resolve lingering issues with his knee. The 22-year-old - once one half of the celebrated "Johnny-si-wo" striking partnership alongside Karim Onisiwo - was limited to just 11 league and one Pokal appearances with the Rheinhessen this season.
The 22-year-old will be sidelined for a minimum of four months.
Burkardt hadn't featured at all for Bo Svensson's Pfälzer in the new calendar year. His last appearance came on the just-concluded campaign's 15th matchday back in November. Mainz made clear that the new surgical procedure would sideline Burkardt for at least four months, meaning that the Darmstadt-native will almost certainly miss the start of the coming season.
Mainz sporting executive Christian Heidel commented on the new surgery when contacted for comment by Germany's main sporting tabloid on Sunday. The club boss confirmed that Burkardt continued to have difficulty with his knee even after returning to the training pitch this spring.
"The complaints [of pain] unfortunately returned under the [partial training] load," Heidel, "Such an injury is usually treated conservatively, but you can also operate - after consulting with the doctors and Johnny, we decided to operate."
ℹ️ Jonathan Burkardt hat sich aufgrund wiederkehrender Beschwerden einem zweiten operativen Eingriff am linken Kniegelenk unterzogen. Nach erfolgreicher Operation ist es das Ziel, dass er im Laufe der Vorrunde der kommenden Saison wieder zur Mannschaft zurückkehrt. ℹ️#Mainz05
— 1. FSV Mainz 05 (@1FSVMainz05) May 28, 2023