US national team forward Aron Johannsson will miss the start of the next Bundesliga season due to a lingering hip injury, according to Werder Bremen sporting director Frank Baumann.
Johannsson moved to Bremen ahead of last season, but only played in six league matches before going down in September with a hip injury. He had surgery to repair the injury in October, but nerve irritation has slowed his recovery and will prevent him from training with Bremen ahead of the start of the Bundesliga season in late-August.
"He will get all the time he needs, but he won't be able to take part in the preseason," Baumann told local paper Kreiszeitung. "He naturally plays a role in our squad planning, although we know that he won't be there for the start of the season."
"We have a lot of patience. He will certainly help us long-term. But an exact prognosis [when he will return] is really difficult. It's not a fracture or a tear," Baumann continued. "It's not an easy situation for Aron."
Johannsson, 25, moved from Dutch club AZ Alkmaar to Bremen last August. A regular call-up to the USMNT prior to his injury, the Icelandic-American represented the US at the 2014 World Cup and 2015 Gold Cup and has four goals in 19 career international appearances.
Bremen endured a difficult 2015-16 season, needing a late goal in the season finale to avoid the relegation playoffs.
