Reus out of World Cup

Marco Reus is out of the FIFA World Cup due to torn ankle ligaments, with Shkodran Mustafi taking his place in Germany’s squad.

Reus was injured in the first half of his country’s 6-1 friendly win over Armenia on Friday, and left the field in visible distress.

An initial statement from the German Football Association (DFB) on Saturday revealed the Borussia Dortmund forward had suffered a “partial tear of the anterior syndesmosis ligaments above the left ankle”, but did not rule Reus out of the World Cup.

However, it has now been confirmed that the 25-year-old will miss the tournament, much to the disappointment of national coach Joachim Low.

“For him and us this is extremely regrettable,” Low said in a statement on the DFB website.

“Marco was in great shape; he has left an excellent impression in training camp and in the two games against Cameroon and Armenia.

“In our considerations for Brazil, he played a central role.”

Germany have opted against calling up a like-for-like replacement for Reus, instead turning to Sampdoria defender Mustafi, who earned his only cap to date as part of a youthful side against Poland last month.

Low explained the decision, adding: “Our quality on the position behind the strikers is very high.

“With Lukas Podolski, Andre Schurrle, Mario Gotze, Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil, Julian Draxler and Toni Kroos, we have plenty of alternatives.

“That’s why we decided for another option for the defensive area.

“Shkodran impressed us in training camp. He’s fit; we have confidence in him. We know that we can rely (on him) 100 per cent.”