Dede may be out until January: Sammer

Borussia Dortmund have been rocked by the news that their Brazilian star Dede faces an extended spell on the sidelines due to the ankle problem sustained in Saturday's 3-0 defeat by VfL Bochum.

It was believed that Dede would be out for a week with the ankle complaint but coach Matthias Sammer confirmed the injury was worse than first feared and the player could be sidelined for up to three months.

"It looks like Dede will not play again this year," Sammer told Sport 1 on Thursday.

Dede, 25, is being examined in Basel by specialist Bernhard Segesser who also treated his Dortmund team-mate Christoph Metzelder.

Dortmund have endured some wretched fortune with injuries this season with an estimated 13 players now on the treatment table.

The loss of key players such as Dede, Metzelder, Torsten Frings, Tomas Rosicky, Marcio Amoroso, Evanilson and Flavio Conceicao has forced Sammer to use untested youngsters this term and play people out of position.