Augsburg returned from Wolfsburg with injury worries. The diagnoses for Florian Niederlechner and Tobias Strobl are now known. While the striker was still lucky, the midfielder’s season has come to an early end.
With faces contorted in pain and accompanied by shocked looks from the officials, Niederlechner and Strobl left the pitch at the 0:1 in Lower Saxony. The injured ankle of the attacker, who to make matters worse had only returned to the team against Stuttgart after adductor surgery, and the thickly bandaged knee of the defensive man did not bode well. But while Niederlechner escaped with a metatarsal contusion and will probably be able to play in the next match against FC Bayern, Strobl’s season is over after rupturing his cruciate ligament.
Strobl’s “suspicion” confirmed
“I noticed right away during the action that something had broken in the knee,” says the Munich native. “In the end, you always hope that it’s not that bad after all. But the MRI examinations confirmed my suspicions.” According to the laws of such an injury, Strobl will be out for at least half a year and wants to “take the necessary time that such an injury needs”.
The coach had also long hoped for less dire news, knowing full well that it would hardly help. “This is of course bitter news for Tobias and our team,” said Markus Weinzierl, who is now appealing to team cohesion. “We have already had many players drop out this season, also over longer periods of time. That’s why it’s important to absorb this long-term absence as a team. “