Batshuayi out for rest of season, doubtful for World Cup after BVB confirm ankle ligament injury

Michy Batshuayi’s season is over after suffering ligament damage in his ankle in yesterday’s Revierderby. While fears that the ankle might be broken were proven untrue, the ligament damage is severe enough on its own to rule him out for the rest of the season and possibly beyond.

The injury was confirmed today by Borussia Dortmund, who left open the possibility that the Chelsea loanee will be able to recover in time to join the Belgium squad for the World Cup, which starts in almost exactly two months.

Ligament injuries, in general, take at least six weeks to heal properly, so even in the best case scenario, Michy’s going to be cutting it very close for the big summer showcase, which was one of the primary motivations for his loan move in January.

That he was an instant hit at BVB, scoring goals, making friends, and being the generally awesome and lovely player we’ve come to know over the past couple years did not surprise many. Hopefully this terribly timed injury is just a small hiccup in the grand scheme of things.

It is standard practice for injured loanees to return to Chelsea for rehab and recovery and one would expect Batshuayi to follow that protocol as well. Whether he returns to BVB after that will be one of the bigger stories this summer.

Get well soon, Michy!