England national team defender Owen Hargreaves will not be able to play for at least six weeks after suffering a broken bone in his left foot during a Bundesliga match.
The Munich star will definitely miss the upcoming England qualifiers for the 2008 European Championship on October 7 and 11 against Macedonia and Croatia respectively.
The 25-year-old Canadian-born footballer suffered the injury during Saturday's German league clash with Bielefeld "Arminia" and was carried off the field on a stretcher in the middle of the first half. Bayern unexpectedly lost the match 2-1.
Initially thought to be a broken leg, the injury turned out to be slightly less severe: Hargreaves will have to walk with a cast for at least three weeks, and he could return to the field at best at the beginning of November.
This season, O.Hargreves is expected to take on the role of leader at Bayern, as captain Michael Ballack left the team in the summer.