Perišić injury blow for Croatia and Wolfsburg

VfL Wolfsburg attacking midfielder Ivan Perišić could be sidelined for several months after fracturing his left shoulder.

The Croatian international will undergo surgery after the extent of the injury was revealed by scans following his team's 3-0 friendly defeat by FC Bayern München in Hamburg on Sunday.

Perišić will miss the start of the Bundesliga season on 22 August and looks likely to be ruled out when Wolfsburg kick off their UEFA Europa League campaign on 18 September. The 25-year-old scored ten goals last term for the Wolves as they qualified for the group stage following a fifth-place finish in the Bundesliga.

The German side are already without defenders Felipe Lopes (vascular problem) and Patrich Ochs (knee) and midfielder Christian Träsch (shoulder), all of whom face lengthy spells on the sidelines.

"These injuries are very unfortunate for us, but we have a deep squad with which we have to compensate for those losses," said general manager Klaus Allofs. "The most important thing now is for the individuals to heal swiftly and the players to return to the team as quickly as possible".

Croatia's opening UEFA EURO 2016 qualifier, against Malta on 9 September, is also likely to come too soon for Perišić.