Schlotterbeck ruled out of Germany's Nations League games with ankle injury

Nico Schlotterbeck has suffered another injury setback while on international duty with Germany, this time damaging his right ankle and ruling him out of the nation's next two Nations League fixtures.

The Borussia Dortmund defender, who was sidelined for several months after suffering a left ankle injury at the World Cup, has now sustained a lateral ligament issue in his right ankle. The problem occurred during Germany's final training session before their clash with Serbia, forcing him to withdraw from the upcoming matches.

No information about the severity of the injury or the possible length of his absence was disclosed, and no replacement will be called up by head coach Jurgen Klopp.

Klopp still chasing first win

The absence is a blow to Klopp, who is still seeking his first victory as Germany's head coach following a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands and a shock 1-0 loss to Greece. No manager in the nation's history has ever failed to win in their first three games in charge.

Confidence before the setback

The injury comes just days after Schlotterbeck had insisted Germany would turn their form around against Serbia on Thursday, telling ZDF: "I'm 100% sure we'll win the game, 110%.

"We have to stick to the game plan; every single player has to perform – if we manage that, we'll win.

"Jurgen is trying to implement his system quickly, and that takes time. We're getting a lot of input from Jurgen, which isn't easy.

"But we're all footballers; we have to adapt. If we can manage that, we'll be a good team. We have good players; we just all need to perform at the DFB the way we do at our clubs."

Concern for Dortmund

The injury will also come as a worry to Borussia Dortmund, who return to action after the international break against Werder Bremen on October 9.