Germany will be without one of its most experienced defenders when it resumes UEFA World Cup qualifying.
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Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng pulled out of the squad on Saturday after picking up an injury in his club’s 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim. The club reported that Boateng sustained minor injuries to his knee and abductor.
Boateng was replaced by David Alaba in the latter stages of the match after picking up the injury, and although the team doesn’t expect anything serious to come of the setback, the 28-year-old won’t take any risks when Germany faces San Marino in WCQ and Italy in a friendly that follows.
“The injury is nothing too bad,” Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told the club’s official website. “But it would be negligent to let him join the Germany team in his current condition.”
