Borussia Dortmund will be without Ilkay Gundogan for a further month after tests revealed his back injury had not improved.
An MRI on Tuesday showed a spinal problem had displayed little sign of progress with Dortmund team doctor Markus Braun telling the club's official website the player must now undergo an "expected rehabilitation period of a month".
Gundogan has not played since being substituted in Germany's 3-3 draw with Paraguay on August 14 when the injury flared up.
Although a key player for coach Jurgen Klopp, Dortmund have not missed the energetic 22-year-old midfielder the last couple of weeks with the Champions League runners-up maintaining their 100 per cent start to the new Bundesliga season with wins over Eintracht Braunschweig and Werder Bremen.
