SV Waldhof Mannheim will have to do without Marco Höger for several months in the 3rd division after he suffered a serious injury in training.

SV Waldhof Mannheim would like to be promoted to the 2nd Bundesliga this season. An important role in coach Christian Neidhart’s team should be played by 33-year-old Marco Höger.

The midfield veteran, who also played for FC Schalke 04, moved from 1. FC Köln to Mannheim in the summer of 2021 and became an absolute regular there.

He played 34 games last season, seven out of nine in this round. Now the bad news. The 159-time Bundesliga player has suffered a serious injury during training. On Monday he was given the terrible diagnosis of a torn cruciate ligament.

Unfortunately for Höger, not the first in his career. Already in the 2015/16 season he missed over 200 days due to an injury to the cruciate ligament. If you take his age and his injury history, then you have to assume that his season is already almost over.

His contract in Mannheim expires in the summer of 2023. A bitter loss for Mannheim in the fight for promotion, Höger was not only important on the pitch. His voice as co-captain also carried weight off the pitch. With 16 points, Waldhof are currently only one point behind third place, which is occupied by SC Freiburg II, who are not allowed to be promoted anyway.

The Mannheim side’s next game is at VfL Osnabrück on Saturday (1 October, 2 p.m.).