Schalke sporting director Horst Heldt does not expect Julian Draxler to return to action until 2015 after he was substituted during the 1-0 win over Augsburg on Friday.
Draxler had to be substituted just seconds after the kick-off after appearing to suffer a hamstring injury.
Gute Besserung, Jule! #s04 pic.twitter.com/zhfxWBWo96
- FC Schalke 04 (@s04) October 31, 2014
Schalke play their final game before the winter break on Dec. 20 against Hamburg, and Heldt has suggested that the Germany international is unlikely to return before their Bundesliga campaign gets underway again against Hannover on Jan. 31.
"He's picked up another injury -- it looks like a serious muscle injury," he told the club's official website. "I'm working on the basis that Julian won't play again before the winter break."
Draxler had hamstring trouble earlier this season and, with the club already without the likes of Joel Matip and Jefferson Farfan, new coach Roberto Di Matteo expressed his frustration.
"Losing Julian Draxler extends our injury list even further," he said on the Royal Blues' website. "It's a real blow. We're still waiting on a more concrete diagnosis."
Schalke centre-back Jan Kirchhoff added: "It's unpleasant for the whole team, especially when it happens right at the beginning of a game. Julian is an important part of the team. We struggled after that and needed a bit of time to recover [in the victory over Augsburg]."