Former Liverpool man suffers season-ending injury with future unclear

Borussia Dortmund have confirmed that former Liverpool midfielder Emre Can has suffered a serious knee injury following their clash with Bayern Munich.

The 32-year-old Germany international, who spent four seasons at Anfield, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and now faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

The update came via Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg on X, with Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl also issuing a statement about the captain.

“Borussia Dortmund have confirmed that Emre #Can suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during yesterday’s match against FC Bayern.

“He is expected to be sidelined for several months. His contract is due to expire at the end of the season.”

Kehl added: “He is our captain, always puts himself at the service of the team and is an important part of our club.

“Over the coming months, Emre will receive our full support so that he can make a complete recovery.”

Can remains a familiar name for Liverpool supporters

Emre Can, the Frankfurt-born midfielder who wore No.23 for us, joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen in 2014 for £9.75m and went on to make 167 appearances in all competitions.

During that spell he scored 14 goals, including the famous overhead kick at Watford which won our Goal of the Season award.

The German international was a regular under Jurgen Klopp and played a role in our run to the 2018 Champions League final, later reflecting on that experience:

“With Liverpool I was a long time injured. I didn’t play the quarter-final or semi-final.”

He also spoke about the intensity of playing under Klopp, saying: “You had no choice under Kloppo. He was very challenging.”

Can eventually left on a free transfer in 2018 to join Juventus before later moving to Borussia Dortmund, where he became club captain and a central leadership figure.

Injury comes despite solid 2025/26 form

Borussia Dortmund have confirmed that Emre #Can suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during yesterday’s match against FC Bayern. He is expected to be sidelined for several months. His contract is due to expire at the end of the season.

Sebastian Kehl said: “He is our… pic.twitter.com/Lq5jQRGdNB

— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) March 1, 2026

Despite limited appearances this season, Can had actually been performing well statistically in the Bundesliga.

(Source: SofaScore)

Three goals in nine matches from midfield showed the experienced German was still contributing, particularly inside the penalty area where all of his goals were scored.

At 32 years old, however, an ACL injury is a major setback and comes after previous injury issues earlier in the campaign.

From a Liverpool perspective, Can is one of those players supporters still follow closely, especially given his leadership role in Dortmund.

Everyone will simply be hoping for a full recovery after such a serious injury.

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