Borussia Dortmund loanee Michy Batshuayi will miss the rest of the domestic season with an ankle injury, the Bundesliga club said on Monday.
But the 24-year-old striker could still feature for Belgium at the FIFA World Cup finals at Russia in June.
He was taken off on a stretcher late on during Dortmund’s 2-0 league defeat by Schalke 04 on Sunday.
“Michy Batshuayi sustained an ankle injury in the Ruhr derby against FC Schalke 04 and will probably miss the remainder of the season,” Dortmund said in a statement.
“However, there remains a chance that he could still feature for the Belgian national team at the World Cup in Russia this (European) summer.”
Batshuayi has been in impressive form for Dortmund since securing a January loan move from English Premier League side Chelsea until the end of the season.
He has scored nine goals in 14 appearances across all competitions.
The striker now faces a race against time to feature in Roberto Martinez’s Belgium team, who begin their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 18.
“I didn’t think it looked like the kind of injury that he would be back from quickly,” Dortmund manager Peter Stoeger told the club’s website www.bvb.de/eng following the injury.
“I hope, of course, that I’m mistaken. I can’t yet say anything specific, other than the fact that he’s in pain and will now be examined in more detail. Hopefully it’s not as bad as it looks.”(Reuters/NAN)