Leverkusen's Baumgartlinger may be sidelined for rest of the year
Initial reports surfacing from Leverkusen are not very sanguine. Shortly after veteran midfield flight-director Charles Aranguiz returned from a long injury layoff, it appears as if positional counterpart Julian Baumgartlinger might be lost for the season.
In a post-match press conference on Saturday, Werkself coach Peter Bosz noted that he feared midfield bridge-connector Julian Baumgartlinger may have suffered "a very bad injury". On Sunday, Germany's red company team officially confirmed that the injury that immediately forced the Austrian off the pitch over the weekend was serious indeed and that the player had been referred to a knee specialist in Munich.
Such referrals usually connote a possible crucial ligament rupture, which would likely sideline the talismanic veteran for the rest of the campaign. German footballing magazine Kicker speculates that the nature of the referral, even if the worst case scenario does not materialize, would keep Baumgartlinger out for months.
Aranguiz's earlier injury forced the 33-year-old to start nearly all Bundesliga and Europa league fixtures for the club. The veteran very much rose to the occasion, contributing three goals in 21 appearances across all competitions.