Schalke 04 striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is likely to be out of action until the New Year after re-injuring his knee in training.
The Dutch international is deciding whether to undergo surgery to correct the problem, but faces a layoff regardless.
"We're going on the principle that he probably won't play during the first half of the season," Schalke sporting director Horst Held told Sport 1.
Huntelaar had already missed eight weeks of the season with the problem before being involved in what he describes as an "unfortunate collision" in training.
The player will seek a second opinion from a medical expert before deciding whether to go under the knife.
