Borussia Dortmund midfielder Axel Witsel out for several months with torn achilles tendon

Axel Witsel will be out for several months with a torn achilles tendon in what is a major blow for Borussia Dortmund.

Borussia Dortmund have announced that Axel Witsel has suffered a torn achilles tendon and which looks set to rule him out for the rest of the season. The 31 year old went down after his left foot got stuck in the grass without any opposition contact in the first half of Saturday’s game against RB Leipzig. He had to be helped off the pitch as he winced in pain. And now the diagnosis has revealed that he will require surgery, which will sideline him for several months.

Witsel missing the rest of the season would be a huge blow for Borussia Dortmund. The midfielder is a vital player for the Black and Yellows, and has featured in all but two games so far this season.

The injury to Witsel leaves Borussia Dortmund a little light in the middle of the park. Thomas Delaney, Emre Can, Jude Bellingham, Julian Brandt and Mahmoud Dahoud are the other midfield options available to Edin Terzic. Of those options, Bellingham is currently injured and Dahoud has seemingly fallen out of favour.

According to Ruhr Nachrichten, Borussia Dortmund are hopeful that Bellingham will return to training next week. It is possible that he could make the squad for next weekend’s game against Mainz 05.

Witsel’s injury is also a blow for the Belgium national team with the European Championships coming up in the summer. It remains to be seen if he will be fit in time for the 2021 Euros.