Hamburg have confirmed Nicolai Muller suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament celebrating his goal against Augsburg in the first round of the Bundesliga season on Saturday.
Muller netted what proved to be the only goal of a 1-0 win in the eighth minute of the game at Volksparkstadion but had to be substituted after falling awkwardly while celebrating his strike.
The 29-year-old underwent scans on Sunday to determine the full extent of the injury, which is likely to leave him out of action for seven months.
"The diagnosis comes as a huge shock to us, it's a big blow at the start of the season and obviously is really tough on Nicolai," Hamburg's sporting director Jens Todt was quoted as saying by the Bundesliga website.
"We wish him all the best for his recovery and, of course, will support him as best we can."
Hamburg's head coach Markus Gisdol said: "It's bad news. I've never seen anything like it."
Terrible news: Nicolai has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will be out for approximately 7 months. August 20, 2017
