Bengaluru, September 19: Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich suffered a major blown when goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was ruled out of action until January after sustaining a foot injury for the second time in six months, the Bavarians said on Tuesday.
Bayern said in a statement that the 31-year-old had suffered a "repeat hairline fracture of the metatarsal in his left foot" during a training session on Monday.
He underwent surgery early on Tuesday which involved setting the fracture with a plate, the club added. Neuer suffered a similar injury to the same foot in April.
Update: @Manuel_Neuer has suffered a hairline metatarsal fracture in his left foot & has had successful surgery.
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) September 19, 2017
Get well soon! 🙏 #packmas pic.twitter.com/dA06gp2php
"We're incredibly sorry for him," said Bayern's chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
"The operation went perfectly, which is the most important thing for now. We and our captain are now looking to the future. Manuel will be back to his previous best and available to us again in January."
Club officials, team-mates and fans took to Twitter to wish him a speedy recovery.
#Rummenigge: "Manuel will be back to his previous best and available to us again in January" - more info on #Neuer 👉 https://t.co/GMCDgw8ySa pic.twitter.com/OIfXo6HBUf
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) September 19, 2017
Get well soon @Manuel_Neuer!
— Robert Lewandowski (@lewy_official) September 19, 2017
You'll come back even stronger, my friend! 👊🏼 @Manuel_Neuer #getwellsoon #gutebesserung #miasanmia #fr7👑 pic.twitter.com/XJDxmLqoQC
— Franck Ribéry (@FranckRibery) September 19, 2017
Get well soon, Manu 💪🏾🙏🏾 #MiaSanMia @Manuel_Neuer
— Jerome Boateng (@JB17Official) September 19, 2017
Get well soon, @Manuel_Neuer! 💪
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) September 19, 2017
Post your videos of best wishes below using #ComeBackStronger. #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/cQZmfTjMoy
Bayern, Bundesliga champions for the past five seasons, have taken nine points from their first four games.