Leverkusen's Fosu-Mensah out for the season after knee injury

Bayer Leverkusen right back Timothy Fosu-Mensah is out for the season, after he tore his right cruciate knee ligament in the Bundesliga game against Freiburg on Sunday.

"It's a tough blow for Timothy," Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said on Monday. "We'll do our utmost to support him so that he comes back stronger from this difficult situation."

Fosu-Mensah moved to Leverkusen from Manchester United in January and has been in the Bundesliga club's starting team five consecutive times as they struggle to fill the right back position.

Santiago Arias, who was loaned from Atletico Madrid last year, is still out due to a fractured fibula and Lars Bender is also unavailable due to a meniscus injury.

Coach Peter Bosz will probably have to rely on Mitchell Weiser, who has hardly been considered lately, or centre back Aleksandar Dragovic.

Leverkusen, who were top of the table mid-December, have won only two of their last 10 games. Their latest setback was a home defeat to Freiburg on Sunday.