Per Mertesacker has suffered a broken eye socket and is set to be sidelined for up to a month.
Bremen defender suffers broken eye socket on international duty
Per Mertesacker has suffered a broken eye socket and is set to be sidelined for up to a month.
The centre-half picked up the knock while turning out for Germany in their Euro 2012 qualifier against Azerbaijan on Tuesday.
He lasted just 11 minutes of the 6-1 win before he was caught with a stray elbow and forced from the field to have stitches in a gash under his eye.
The Werder Bremen man was later taken to hospital for X-rays and those tests revealed that he had suffered a break.
Surgery
It has been confirmed that he will not need surgery in order to make a full recovery, but he is set to be out of action for the foreseeable future.
He will definitely miss Bremen's Bundesliga showdown with Bayern Munich on Saturday and is also out of their UEFA Champions League Group A opener against Tottenham on Tuesday.
A statement on the club's
official website read: "Mertesacker suffered a broken eye socket and a gash under his left eye in the German national team's 6-1 victory over Azerbaijan in the Euro 2012 qualifier in Cologne.
"Doctors said Mertesacker does not need an operation. As planned, the defender drove back to Bremen overnight on Tuesday. He will undergo further examinations on Wednesday.''
