Hummels doubt for Ghana
June 17, 2014
Hummels may miss Germany's next World Cup match, the German DFB football association said on Tuesday.
"Hummels suffered a contusion in his right thigh with bleeding into the muscle," the DFB said in a statement on its website. "It will depend on further healing when he will be able to resume training or whether he can play in the second Group G match against Ghana in Fortaleza on Saturday."
The defender was brought to a local hospital along with teammate Jerome Boateng, where he underwent magnetic resonance imaging testing on Tuesday.
Both players suffered injuries in Germany's 4-0 drubbing of Portugal on Monday. Hummels, who scored the Germans' second goal, had to leave the match in the 73rd minute after colliding with Eder. Boateng was able to go the full 90 minutes, but tore ligaments in his right thumb.
The DFB said Boateng is expected to play on Saturday with a special brace.
Germany coach Joachim Löw brought a slew of defenders with him to the World Cup, including the relatively unknown (in Germany) Shkodran Mustafi as a last-minute replacement for the injured attacker Marco Reus. However, Löw's decision to field a more cautious backline that features four traditional center-backs has left him somewhat shorthanded on the right, where the more versatile Boateng was called into action against Portugal.
Should Hummels indeed be unable to play against Ghana, Mustafi or Matthias Ginter could be called on as direct replacements. Equally, Boateng or designated left back Benedikt Höwedes could slot into the center, with Philipp Lahm or youngster Erik Durm filling in on the flank.
Boateng and Hummels were the only two players to miss out on Tuesday's training at the remote Santo Andre resort town. The German squad has struggled for full fitness since beginning its training camp in Austria last month, and those problems appear to have persisted into the tournament.
Löw gave his team the afternoon off, which Monday's hat trick hero Thomas Müller said the players would use for "rest, fun and games."
"It was good to get the three points and a good start is of course very important to ease a bit of pressure and get a good run going," he said.
dr/msh (AP, AFP, Reuters)