Pepe Reina's very faint hopes of supplanting Manuel Neuer as the first-choice goalkeeper at Bayern Munich took a devastating hit on Monday.
The Spaniard, 32, made his first appearance for the club yesterday in a friendly exhibition against a team of amateur players, and to say it didn't go well would be an understatement.
.@PReina25 has suffered a serious calf muscle injury. Our goalkeeper will be out of action for a number of weeks. Get well soon, Pepe!
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) October 7, 2014
Neuer - arguably the best goalkeeper on the planet - was never in any danger of losing his place to the former Liverpool and Napoli shot-stopper. Regardless, losing a player to injury for an extended period of time, no matter who it is and which position he plays, is always a concern.
Tom Starke will fill the void as Neuer's backup until Reina returns.