Germany's midfield has suffered another blow as Lars Bender was ruled out for the World Cup on Friday because of a thigh injury.
Bender suffered the injury in training on Thursday, and head coach Joachim Loew revealed that the 25-year-old will now miss the tournament in Brazil, leaving him with further selection issues in midfield.
"It is disappointing for everyone when a player suffers an injury that close to the tournament. I am really sorry for Lars," Loew said on the official DFB website.
"I know he absolutely wanted to make it to Brazil. He is a role model on and off the pitch."
The Bayer Leverkusen man has been capped 17 times by Germany in his international career, and he appeared in 29 Bundesliga matches for Leverkusen this past season, scoring three goals.
Among Germany's other midfield players, Bastian Schweinsteiger has been limited in training with a knee problem, while Sami Khedira has only just returned from a torn ACL suffered in November.
[SportsNetwork.com]
