Marco Reus has been dropped from the German squad to the 2014 World Cup after scans revealed the extent of an ankle injury sustained in Germany’s friendly match against Armenia on Friday.
Reus suffered a torn ligament after twisting his ankle just before half-time in the warm-up match, which Germany went on to win 6-1 with all the goals scored in the second half.
In a statement on the German Football Association website, coach Joachim Löw said ”this is extremely regrettable for him and for us. Marco was in great shape, he has left an excellent impression in training and in the two games against Cameroon and Armenia.”
As a result, Sampdoria defender Shkodran Mustafi has been called up by coach Joachim Löw to replace the 25 year old Borussia Dortmund forward, who is set to spend at least six weeks on the sidelines according to the statement.
Reus joins a growing list of notable players to miss the World Cup with injuries, with French duo Franck Ribery and Clement Grenier were ruled out on Friday, Colombia striker Radamel Falcao ruled out last week and Italy midfielder Ricardo Montolivo ruled out late in May.
There are also doubts over the fitness of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Brazilian-born Spain striker Diego Costa, Uruguay’s Luis Suarez and Nigerian duo Elderson Echiejile and Ahmed Musa.