Bayer Leverkusen’s hopes in the Bundesliga and Champions League were dealt a severe blow with the announcement that Florian Wirtz has sustained a ligament injury in his right knee, rendering him unavailable for several weeks.

Wirtz was initially benched during the first half of Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Werder Bremen but was introduced at halftime in an attempt to change the match’s trajectory. Unfortunately, he was forced to leave the pitch just 14 minutes later after a foul and was seen leaving the stadium on crutches.

With Leverkusen looking to overcome a three-goal deficit in the upcoming second leg against Bayern Munich, Wirtz’s injury comes at a particularly inopportune time. According to Simon Rolfes, Bayer’s sporting managing director, “The loss of Florian obviously hits us hard in this phase of the season but we will compensate for him with a strong squad. We know Florian and also know he will come back as soon as possible. Everybody will support him in that. We are assuming he will be fully fit again for the end of the season run-in.”

While Leverkusen has not provided a clear timetable for Wirtz’s return, there are doubts regarding his availability for the DFB Pokal semifinal against Arminia Bielefeld on April 1. The German international has become invaluable to Leverkusen in the recent months since they accomplished an unprecedented undefeated domestic season.

As of now, none of the players in Leverkusen’s squad have accrued more minutes than Wirtz in all competitions. He has contributed 12 assists and 15 goals, only surpassed by Patrik Schick.