Injured Nowotny out for Germany

Van Nistelrooy consoles Nowotny. Now the German needs surgery

BERLIN, Germany -- Germany's World Cup preparation has been badly hit after it was confirmed a knee injury will rule out centre-back Jens Nowotny.

The 28-year-old Bayer Leverkusen defender, who has played for Germany 37 times, needs surgery and is expected to be out for six months.

He tore a cruciate ligament in his right knee when he challenged Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy after 10 minutes of Bayer's Champions League semifinal second leg at home to Manchester United on Tuesday.

As Nowotny went down, German coach Rudi Voeller dashed from the stand to check on his condition. "It's not only a bitter setback for Jens, it's a big loss for the national team," Reuters quoted Voeller as saying on Thursday.

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"Jens was to have played a very important role in my plans at the World Cup, as he was going to take charge of defence and relay my instructions from the bench. It will be difficult to replace him."

It is the latest blow to Voeller's plans. Midfielder Mehmet Scholl has already made it clear he will not be going to the finals while injury doubts remain over midfielders Sebastian Deisler and Christian Ziege and defender Marko Rehmer

"It's starting to get very tight," Germany's 1990 World Cup winning coach Franz Beckenbauer told Reuters. "Nowotny was the boss of the defence and thus very hard to replace."

Now Voeller will be praying his fit players emerge unscathed from the final round of German league matches this weekend in which Bayer Leverkusen are involved in a three-way fight for the title.

Bayer, whose team includes key midfielder Michael Ballack and striker Oliver Neuville, have the biggest game of their history on May 15 when they play Real Madrid in the European Champions League final. They are also in the German Cup final.

"The long season claims its victims," added Voeller. "A lot of players have reached their physical limits."

Voeller has until May 21 to name his squad for the finals, which begin on May 31.