BORUSSIA DORTMUND HAVE confirmed that an untimely injury has ended Michy Batshuayi’s season, but he remains in contention for World Cup duty.
The Belgium international striker, who is currently on loan in Germany from Premier League side Chelsea, suffered ankle damage during a Ruhr derby date with Schalke on Sunday.
He was forced from the field on a stretcher during that contest, with fears immediately raised as to his possible participation at this summer’s World Cup in Russia.
Dortmund have refused to rule him out of that event, but have conceded that he will not come back into contention for them before the 2017-18 campaign comes to a close.
A statement from the Bundesliga club read: “Michy Batshuayi suffered an ankle injury in the derby with Schalke and will be probably be out of action for the remainder of the season.
“Participation with the Belgian national team at the World Cup in Russia remains in the realms of possibility.
Get well soon, Michy!”
Dortmund boss Peter Stoger had told Dortmund’s official website in the wake of a 2-0 defeat to Schalke that he feared the worst when it came to Batshuayi’s fitness.
He said: “I didn’t think it looked like the kind of injury that he would be back from quickly.”
A spell on the sidelines comes at the worst possible time for the 24-year-old frontman, as he had started to rediscover his form in Germany.
Having seen game time limited at Chelsea, a January switch to Dortmund had delivered nine goals in just 15 appearances.
He will, however, be unable to add to that tally before the summer, meaning that he is relying on Belgium boss Roberto Martinez taking a calculated gamble on him.
Batshuayi faces plenty of competition for attacking berths within the Red Devils international set-up and could have done with more games and goals to cement his standing.
He has shown enough, though, during his spell in the Bundesliga to underline his quality and may yet prove to be a valuable asset for his country and Chelsea heading through the rest of 2018 – with a return to Stamford Bridge now on the cards before a decision on his long-term future is made.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
