Dortmund's Reus to miss 4 weeks with torn thigh muscle

Marco Reus is back on the shelf.

The oft-injured German winger will be out of action for four weeks, as Borussia Dortmund confirmed Reus “tore muscle fibres in the back of his thigh” during Saturday’s 6-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen.

“It’s a real blow, because over the last few weeks and in particular in the opening stages today, which I felt were somewhat sluggish, Marco was the one who consistently got us going, who took the responsibility, who was alert. He has been incredibly stable for weeks now, he’s been playing at a high level and is a very important character,” manager Thomas Tuchel said after Saturday’s victory.

“It’s an enormous loss that takes the shine off the win.”

Reus, 27, has seen his career blighted by a collection of ailments; he missed Germany’s victorious World Cup campaign in 2014 after tearing ankle ligaments in a pre-tournament friendly, and was also forced to watch Euro 2016 from afar due to a pelvic problem.

One of the most versatile, exciting attacking players on the planet when fit, Reus has been limited to only 11 Bundesliga appearances this season, and will now miss a crucial run of fixtures as Dortmund looks to make a Champions League run while solidifying a top-four spot domestically.

Tuchel’s side hosts Benfica on Wednesday in the second leg of its Champions League Round of 16 tie. The Bundesliga behemoth is trailing 1-0 on aggregate after a slim defeat in the opening leg in Portugal.