Bayern Munich club doctors have moved to calm fears over Bastian Schweinsteiger's latest injury setback, insisting that he is on course to return early in 2014.
Schweinsteiger needs an operation to repair a persistent problem in his right ankle, with tendonitis forcing the German international to have surgery for the second time this year.
Bayern's chief medical officer Dr Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt has insisted that the midfielder's timeline for recovery looks "favourable", rejecting reports in the German media that he will be out for longer than three months.
He told reporters: "Unfortunately, since last weekend, the media has been discussing at length the condition of Bastian Schweinsteiger. This is both unfounded and inappropriate towards the player.
"People who do not know the facts, such as the results of the scans and imagery, are having their say. The injury is an extra-articular medical finding and the post-operation prognosis is to be regarded as very favourable.
"The possibility of Bastian Schweinsteiger being able to play in 2014 is in no way endangered."
Bayern have confirmed that the operation will be performed shortly, but stopped short of releasing any precise details on the procedure or Schweinsteiger's recovery time.
Liam Power
