LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) — Leipzig will likely have to cope without Dani Olmo until the new year after the Spain midfielder injured his shoulder, coach Marco Rose indicated Monday.
Olmo separated the acromioclavicular joint between his collarbone and shoulder blade shortly after coming off the bench in Leipzig's 6-0 win over Cologne on Saturday.
It was only Olmo's third appearance since returning from a knee injury picked up while playing for Spain in early September and came three days after he scored against Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League.
“I have great trust in the guys, in the squad, in our quality. It's a shame that he's not here and now we just need to keep it together without him until shortly before Christmas,” Rose said, calling Olmo an “irreplaceable key player”.
Leipzig next plays Wolfsburg in the German Cup on Tuesday and its last game before the winter break is Dec. 19 against Werder Bremen. Olmo is set to miss Leipzig's final three Champions League group stage games against Red Star, Manchester City and Young Boys, as well as a key Bundesliga game against Borussia Dortmund in early December.
Olmo is also likely to be unavailable when the Spanish national team plays Cyprus on Nov. 16 and Georgia three days later in qualifying for the European Championship. Spain has already secured its place at the tournament next year in Germany.
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