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Weston McKennie could be out a while for Schalke 04, and possibly the United States Men’s National Team, after he dislocated his shoulder in an awkward fall during Schalke’s 1-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt.
The injury occurred in the 9th minute of the match, when McKennie went up for an aerial challenge on Bas Dost. Both guys collided in midair, and McKennie fell awkwardly to the earth, landing on his left arm with his arm and shoulder in a terrible angle.
Oh no.
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 15, 2019
Weston McKennie was stretchered off with an apparant shoulder injury after this collision with Bas Dost. Get well soon, @WMckennie! pic.twitter.com/wdzLc1rZKp
McKennie received several minutes of medical attention before he was stretchered off in the 13th minute. Schalke reported that he went straight to the hospital, where the injury was diagnosed as a dislocated shoulder. According to Schalke head coach David Wagner, it’s undetermined if McKennie will need surgery to repair the shoulder, but they expect him to be out “for a while.”
️ #Wagner on @WMckennie: "Weston has dislocated his shoulder and is in hospital right now. We don't yet know if he'll need an operation. He will definitely be out for a while."#SchalkeUS | #S04SGE pic.twitter.com/D4YwgZoOpS
— Schalke 04 USA (@s04_us) December 16, 2019
This will be a big blow to the 21-year-old if the injury requires surgery, as he has been a mainstay in the Schalke lineup all season. It could also affect his ability to train with the USMNT during Schalke’s winter break. The USMNT is reportedly conducting their January Camp in Qatar, and with the Bundesliga winter break, it could have set up for McKennie to appear in January Camp training sessions with the USMNT. Now, that seems unlikely.
Let’s hope McKennie doesn’t miss too much time and returns to the lineup with 100% health soon.