Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm will be sidelined for up to three months after sustaining a fracture of his right ankle in a training session on Tuesday, the German champions announced.
The 31-year-old defender, who retired from international duty after Germany's World Cup win in Brazil in the summer, will need to undergo an operation on the joint and thus will be out "for two and a half to three months," a Bayern statement said.
Lahm's injury is a further body blow for Bundesliga leaders Bayern coming after injuries to Holger Badstuber (thigh muscle tear), Javi Martinez (left knee ligaments), David Alaba (right knee), Thiago (right knee ligaments), Claudio Pizzaro (right thigh muscle tear) and Bastian Schweinsteiger (inflamed knee patella ligament).
Germany captain Schweinsteiger has only just returned to full-time training.
For Lahm it is the first serious injury he has sustained since 2006. He has played 271 times for Bayern since 2005.
Source: AFP