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Wolfsburg and United States Men’s National Team centerback John Brooks has been ruled out for the final two games of the Bundesliga season due to medial ligament discomfort, according to a team statement.
Some bad news confirmed by BL at today's presser: @j_brooks25 will miss VfL's last 2 games. "His medial ligament is causing him discomfort. Jay has been a key figure this season, & it's a big shame he’s not available, but the others will fill in for him." #VfBWOB #VfLWolfsburg pic.twitter.com/t52qXLFEDY
— VfL Wolfsburg US (@VfLWolfsburg_US) May 9, 2019
Brooks has missed the past two games for Wolfsburg and now is confirmed to be out for the remainder of the season. Brooks has had his struggles with injuries in the past but had been having a very solid year, free from injury to this point. In fact, even with the time missed here at the end of the season, Brooks’ 29 appearances in 2018-19 match a career high at any level and follows an injury-plagued 2017-18 season in which he had just 9 appearances.
The injury could not have come at a worse time for Wolfsburg, who are currently sitting in 7th place, just outside of European competition qualifying spots. In fact, Wolfsburg sit just two points behind Eintracht Frankfurt for 4th place and Champions League qualification. This weekend, Wolfsburg face 16th place Stuttgart before finishing their season against Eintracht Frankfurt in what could be a pivotal game for both clubs.
The extent of Brooks’ injury is unknown at this point so it remains to be seen if it will impact his availability for the USMNT in the Gold Cup this summer. The Gold Cup roster is expected to be released later this month with games starting June 18th.