Former world champion Julian Draxler has undergone ankle surgery and is expected to miss Portuguese record champions Benfica for the remainder of the season.
The operation on the left ankle of the midfielder, who is on loan from Paris St. Germain until the summer, took place in Lisbon on Friday. The Portuguese said so.
Like the Portuguese daily newspaper records reported, the surgery also means the end of the season for Draxler. The former Schalke player was loaned out to Benfica earlier this season to get more match practice. However, the change did not pay off: In 18 competitive games, Draxler only scored twice, and coach Roger Schmidt only let the 29-year-old stay on the field for more than 90 minutes once.
Draxler’s contract in Paris runs until 2024.
