Surgery ends Kagawa´s season

Borussia Dortmund’s Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa, who broke a bone in his right foot at the Asian Cup, is heading home for surgery.

Kagawa broke the bone in his foot in his team’s semi-final against South Korea forcing him to miss Saturday’s final against Australia.

He is expected to miss the rest of the season with the injury.

“He is on his way to Japan for surgery,” Dortmund said in a statement.

“It was his wish and the club agreed. It is not yet decided when he will return to Germany.”

Bundesliga leaders Dortmund said it was unlikely the player would return before the end of the season.

“There are variations in this injury but I do not know of any case that a player came back earlier than three months,” said Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp.

Kagawa, snapped up in the close season from Japan’s second division for 300,000 pounds, has been crucial in Dortmund’s spectacular run this season with his team eight points clear at the top of the table.

The 21-year-old has scored eight league goals in his first season in Germany and his value is now estimated at about six million pounds.