Third division club Dynamo Dresden will have to do without their striker Manuel Schäffler for weeks. The attacker has suffered a muscle fibre rupture.

Dynamo Dresden will have to do without centre forward Manuel Schäffler for the next few weeks. The third division club made the announcement on Tuesday. The 33-year-old has torn a muscle fibre in his thigh. This is the result of an MRI examination at the Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital.

After the test match on the last day of the training camp in Belek, Turkey, against Sampdoria Genoa, in which Dynamo were able to hold the Italians to a 2-2 draw, “Cheffe”, as he is called by the Dresden players, had already complained of muscular problems. These now turned out to be torn muscle fibres during an examination at the Dresden University Hospital.

“Injuries like this are unfortunately part of our job as footballers,” the Dresdeners quote Schäffler as saying in a press release. “The timing in the middle of the preparation is of course very unfortunate, but together with our medical department I will do everything to get fit again as soon as possible and to be able to help the team on the pitch.”

Schäffler joined SG Dynamo Dresden from Nuremberg in the summer and has scored four goals in 15 Drittliga games for Schwarz-Gelb so far. Previously, the attacker was also under contract with SV Wehen Wiesbaden, Holstein Kiel, FC Ingolstadt, TSV 1860 Munich and MSV Duisburg. He scored 69 goals in 203 third division matches and 48 goals in 201 second division matches for these clubs.

The traditional club from Saxony is currently in ninth place in the 3rd division table. They are eight points behind third place in the relegation play-off places and ten points behind second place in the promotion play-off places. For coach Markus Anfang’s team, the season will start again on 15 January with a home match against SV Meppen, who are in danger of relegation.