Lucas Hernandez Injury Further Depletes Bayern Munich's Defense
Thanassis Stavrakis/AP/Shutterstock
Bayern Munich have confirmed that defender Lucas Hernández will likely be out of action for several weeks after picking up an ankle injury during Tuesday's 3-2 victory over Olympiakos.
The Frenchman was forced off the field around the hour mark after a heavy challenge and was seen leaving the ground on crutches.
Speaking to Sport1 after the game, director Hasan Salihamidzic revealed that Hernandez is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, and he also held the French national team partly responsible for their decision to call him up while he was not fully fit during the recent international break.
"The initial diagnosis from Dr. [Hans-Wilhelm] Müller-Wohlfahrt is that he will be out for several weeks. But we have other options and good people on the bench who are fit," Salihamidzic said.
"[Club CEO] Karl-Heinz-Rummenigge intervened in the past week before the player went to the national team, but I did not like the fact that he played anyway. Dr. Müller-Wohlfahrt is an expert on that matter. I do not want to blame anyone, but you have to trust people like Dr. Müller-Wohlfahrt."
Bild journalist Christian Falk also echoed Salihamidzic's diagnosis, stating that the defender will be out for 'a few weeks' as he recovers.
Bayern took to its official website after the game to confirm that Lucas will be sent for further tests on his ankle to try and determine the severity of the injury.
It was a tough evening for manager Niko Kovac, as both Serge Gnabry and Javi Martínez also picked up minor injuries during the game. Neither is thought to be as serious as Lucas's, but it means that Bayern's injury crisis is set to continue.
Center back Niklas Süle suffered a serious knee injury during the recent 2-2 draw with Augsburg and is expected to miss at least six months of action, while Lars Lukas Mai's knee injury leaves Bayern short of options at the back.
Benjamin Pavard and Jérôme Boateng are the team's only fit center backs, and it looks like both will have to play as much as is physically possible over the coming months.
