Hamburg’s first Bundesliga win has been followed by an injury concern. Albert Grönbaek damaged his right thigh during Denmark’s 3-2 defeat in Norway and has left the national-team camp early.
Key takeaways
- Grönbaek has contributed to four of HSV’s five competitive goals this season.
- The 25-year-old scored twice in the 3-0 German Cup victory at Verl.
- He created Nicolas Capaldo’s and Yussuf Poulsen’s goals in the 2-1 league win over 1. FC Köln.
- Denmark coach Brian Riemer confirmed that Grönbaek is injured and will depart the squad.
- HSV expect the Dane back in Hamburg shortly for detailed medical checks.
A major concern after Oslo
Grönbaek entered Thursday’s match in Oslo in the 82nd minute but was unable to finish without treatment. He left the pitch with his right thigh strapped after only eight minutes of action.
The length of his absence remains unclear. The international break is over for him, however, and HSV will assess the muscle problem once he returns.
His absence would be a serious issue for coach Merlin Polzin. Grönbaek has been HSV’s most influential attacking midfielder through pre-season and the opening competitive fixtures. He can operate in several midfield roles and has been one of the two creators in the club’s 3-4-2-1 shape.
Fabio Vieira, the other advanced playmaker, is not yet at full form. That makes Grönbaek’s condition more significant ahead of HSV’s return from the extended international break.
Hamburg’s investment and a difficult injury record
HSV paid €4.7 million to make Grönbaek’s move permanent in the summer. The early returns have made that fee look well spent.
Poulsen recently described his Danish team-mate as a player who can do almost everything in attack and predicted that his market value would rise quickly.
For Grönbaek, another lay-off would also interrupt a promising recovery. His career has been slowed by repeated injury absences. A loan at Genoa brought little progress because of fitness problems, and he suffered a muscle injury soon after joining Hamburg on loan from Stade Rennes in January.
He needed several weeks to regain ground in the HSV squad before becoming one of the side’s leading performers. Hamburg now await the examination of a player central to their early-season improvement.
