Wolfsburg's Junior Malanda out for rest of season

Berlin: Wolfsburg will miss new arrival Junior Malanda for the rest of the season due to a knee injury, the club said in an official statement.

Besides, Wolfsburg losing 0-2 to Dortmund in the German Cup, they also lost youngster Malanda to a medial collateral ligament tear, a medical examination revealed Wednesday, reports Xinhua.

He will be sidelined for six to eight weeks.

The Belgian suffered the injury in the closing period of the semi-final against Dortmund. Malanda tried to poke home a rebound from very close range but Dortmund's defender Sokratis blocked the ball and fell on the midfielder's right knee.

"Junior had luck. Had it been the feared torn ACL, he would have been out for at least half a year. He will return with the start of the preparations," Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking said.

The "Wolves" occupy the fifth place in the Bundesliga table. They will encounter relegation threatened Hamburg Saturday.