Germany defender Nico Schlotterbeck will miss the remainder of the World Cup after sustaining a medial ankle ligament injury.
A statement released by the German Football Association (DFB) confirmed that the Borussia Dortmund centre-back will be sidelined for several months, after he came off injured in Germany’s 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast on Saturday.
Schlotterbeck is set to remain with the squad in the United States.
Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann shared his disappointment with the loss of his starting centre-back.
“We’ll miss Schlotti enormously on the pitch,” Nagelsmann said. “He’s an outstanding defender and his ability to play out from the back is exceptional. He could have played a big role at this World Cup.
“We all tried to lift his spirits yesterday and fortunately, he’s a very positive person who is already looking ahead. The fact that he’s staying here with the squad for now is a lovely gesture because he also has an influence off the pitch.”
Nagelsmann withdrew Schlotterbeck at half time, later saying “it’s not looking good” as he was surprised that the defender had lasted on the pitch as long as he did.
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Borussia Dortmund shared sporting director Lars Ricken’s comments regarding Schlotterbeck’s injury on their website.
“I feel extremely sorry for Nico; he was in really good form and an indispensable part of our national team’s starting line-up,” Ricken said. “But Nico showed last year how he can come back even stronger after an injury. He’ll do the same this time too; we’re convinced of that.”
Schlotterbeck started both games for his nation, and even got on the scoresheet in Germany’s 7-1 rout over Curaçao.
Antonio Rüdiger replaced Schlotterbeck when he came off, with the Real Madrid defender expected to partner Jonathan Tah when Germany face Ecuador next.
