Chicharito fractures hand falling down stairs; will miss season opener

Berlin - A fractured hand, from falling down the stairs at home, means Mexican striker Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez will miss Bayer Leverkusen's opening game of the new season, his club announced Tuesday.

"Chicharito suffered a fractured right hand falling down the stairs in his flat last night," said Leverkusen in a statement.

"Hernandez was successfully operated on this morning."

Injury means both Hernandez and Leverkusen captain Lars Bender have been ruled out of Saturday's Bundesliga match at Borussia Monchengladbach, the club's first of the season.

The pair are expected to be sidelined for the next fortnight.

Bender suffered an ankle injury playing for Germany in the men's final of the Rio Olympics last Saturday, when the Germans lost to Brazil on penalties.

His injury was confirmed by an MRI scan by his club in Cologne on Tuesday morning after his return from Brazil.

The 28-year-old Hernandez joined Leverkusen from Manchester United in August 2015 and was the club's top-scorer in his first season in Germany with 17 goals in the Bundesliga.

Bender has won 19 caps for Germany and has made 174 league appearances for Leverkusen since joining in 2009.