"Schalke" forward Huntelaar will not appear on the field this year. © EuroFootball.com

The forward of the German football club Gelzenkirchen "Schalke" from the Netherlands, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, has dropped out of the squad at least until the end of 2013 due to a recurring knee injury. The 30-year-old footballer suffered a knee injury on August 17 and did not play for two months - the Dutchman was supposed to return to the field on October 13, but the injury recurred. "Schalke" team coach Jan Keller confirmed that one of the team's leaders will not play at least until Christmas, and he may need surgery. "It doesn't matter at all whether he decides to lie on the operating table or not - he won't be able to play until Christmas. He can heal the injury without surgery, but in that case, it can recur at any time. We really didn't rush him to return to the field as soon as possible - recovery from such injuries always takes about 8 weeks. He felt good, but during training, he collided with a teammate and the injury recurred - that can happen at any time," said J. Keller. Starting the Bundesliga season poorly, the "Schalke" team has only 11 points after 8 rounds and is in eighth place in the standings. K.J. Huntelaar managed to play two Bundesliga matches and score 2 goals and make an assist before the injury.