Bayer 04 will be without the services of goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky longer than expected in the pre-season. In the operation to remove a wisdom tooth on Friday, the Finn also had to have a cyst removed from his jaw. The unscheduled operation was a success although it does involve a significantly longer recovery period due to the work on the jaw. Hradecky is expected to return to training in three to five weeks.
"We have a very strong set of goalkeepers and we will be able to make up for the loss and we have great confidence in Ramazan Özcan and Thorsten Kirschbaum," said head coach Heiko Herrlich, who only received the bad news at the BayArena following the afternoon training session. "I'm most sorry for Lukas who joined us full of ambition and now has to watch from the sidelines," added Herrlich. "But he is in the best hands with our medical section and the coaches and the players will do all they can to support Lukas. He will be given time to recover completely."
The FIFA World Cup 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico is underway. A total of eight Leverkusen players are taking part in the 23rd World Cup, with 48 teams in the tournament for the first time. Bayer04.de brings you all the latest from Werkself players at the World Cup.
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