Gundogan out for a further four weeks

Borussia Dortmund have confirmed that midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is expected to out for four weeks with a back injury.

The Germany international suffered a recurrence of a previous injury while on international duty against Paraguay, the 22-year-old opened the scoring in the 3-3 draw but was withdrawn moments after hitting the back of the net.

He was initially expected to be out for two weeks, however the club have confirmed he is set for an extend spell on the sidelines in a statement released on their official website.

“Ilkay Gundogan will not play in the coming weeks due to an overload response in the lumbar area (back),” it read.

Club doctor also Markus Braun announced he expected the player to be out for at least four weeks.

He added: “(The player) will begin a further period of rehabilitation and is not expected to resume training for a month.”

The midfielder made 45 appearances for Dortmund last season, and although he has started three matches during the current campaign, his back problems have meant he has been unable to finish a match.