Borussia Dortmund's Giannis Konstantelias ruled out for months with knee injury

Borussia Dortmund have confirmed a significant injury blow for their new recruit Giannis Konstantelias, who is set to be sidelined for several months. The 23-year-old midfielder sustained a torn cruciate ligament in his left knee during Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Hamburg at Signal Iduna Park.

The injury occurred during what was a promising maiden start for the Greece international in the Bundesliga. After finding the back of the net to score Dortmund's second goal of the match, Konstantelias was forced to leave the field early in the second half. Following the conclusion of the game, head coach Niko Kovac expressed immediate concern, noting that the club feared the worst regarding the severity of the incident.

Konstantelias completed his move to Dortmund from PAOK in August for a reported transfer fee of 30 million euros, equivalent to approximately 36 million dollars. His arrival in the Bundesliga was notable for the intense circumstances surrounding his departure from Greece. The transfer proceeded despite significant opposition from PAOK supporters, who had previously occupied their home stadium in an attempt to block the move. This action followed a similar effort by the club's ultras a year prior, which had successfully prevented a proposed transfer to Stuttgart.