Hamburg’s Brazil midfielder Ze Roberto is expected to miss the rest of the year after undergoing surgery on Thursday for an ankle injury.
The 35-year-old tore ankle ligaments in the 2-2 draw with Hanover at the start of the month and is expected to be out for the next four weeks after the operation in Zurich, Switzerland, on Thursday.
The Brazilian, who has been in good form for Hamburg, will miss Saturday’s Bundesliga clash at Mainz, plus December’s league games with Hoffenheim, Nuremberg and Bremen.
With the Bundesliga set to start the winter break on December 20, Ze Roberto’s next league game is likely to be against Freiburg on January 16.
The news is bad news for Hamburg coach Bruno Labbadia who has strikers Paolo Guerrero and Mladen Petric, winger Romeo Castelen, defenders Collin Benjamin, Alex Silva und Bastian Reinhardt all out with long-term injuries.
Ze Roberto, who has made 84 appearances for Brazil, has said he would like to come out of retirement to play for his country in next summer’s World Cup finals in South Africa.
