RB Leipzig have confirmed that Timo Werner will be out for the rest of 2022 with an injury to his ankle. This means that the striker will also be unavailable for the 2022 World Cup with the Germany national team.

The forward sustained the injury in Leipzig’s final Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk. There were concerns about the severity of the injury right away, and it’s extent has now been confirmed after scans.

Timo Werner to miss the 2022 World Cup due to injury

A very tough one to take for me! I will be out for the next weeks, will miss the World Cup and will have to support @RBLeipzig and @DFB_Team from the couch unfortunately😤😤 thanks for all your messages! pic.twitter.com/umfQKBVi3p
— Timo Werner (@TimoWerner) November 3, 2022

“This piece of news is extremely bitter,” Germany coach Hansi Flick said. “I feel very bad for Timo personally because he will miss the World Cup which he desperately wanted to play in.”

“But especially for the team it is a big loss. We have to make do without an outstanding striker with a high scoring ratio also for the national team and a real team player,” Flick said in a statement.

Timo Werner returned to RB Leipzig from Chelsea this summer over concerns about playing time. The 26-year-old has scored nine goals across all competitions following his return, and was expected to make it to the Germany squad.

But now, it seems like Hansi Flick will be calling up Werder Bremen striker Niclas Fullkrug, who is the leading goalscorer in the Bundesliga.