Jens Castrop [Yonhap]
Jens Castrop [Yonhap]

Jens Castrop, 23, the Korean-German midfielder who plays for Borussia Mönchengladbach, will be sidelined for now after suffering a shoulder injury.

Castrop hurt his shoulder in the early stages of the second half of a CPX match against Rottach-Egern on Thursday (Korean Standard Time). He collapsed suddenly just after scoring a goal, with no contact from an opponent, and was in severe pain.

Medical staff immobilized the shoulder on the scene, and Castrop initially tried to walk off the pitch under his own power but sat back down in pain. The injury also caused circulatory problems, and he was ultimately carried off on a stretcher and taken to hospital by ambulance.

Despite initial fears, the injury is not believed to be serious enough to cost him the entire season. According to German outlet Bild, Castrop is being assessed by medical staff to determine whether surgery or conservative treatment is the more appropriate course.

"Castrop is expected to be out for several weeks," Bild reported, adding that "the good news is that the injury does not appear to be as serious as initially feared — it is not expected to rule him out for the first half of the season."

Bild added that Castrop is undergoing further examinations and consulting multiple medical specialists to decide between surgery and conservative treatment, and that the player himself will have a say in the final decision.

Born to a Korean mother and a German father, Castrop switched his football allegiance from the German Football Association to the Korea Football Association to represent South Korea. He was included in the final squad for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup and made his World Cup debut against South Africa.


min3654@heraldcorp.com