Manuel Neuer suffers partial tendon tear in fresh Bayern Munich injury blow

The 40-year-old was forced off shortly before half-time during Bayern's 2-1 Bundesliga victory over Mainz on Saturday, which marked his 550th appearance in the German top flight.

Neuer had only just returned to the starting line-up after missing Bayern's previous two league matches with a foot problem.

His latest setback occurred in the build-up to a Mainz goal that was subsequently ruled out for offside. Jonas Urbig replaced him before the break.

Bayern sporting director Max Eberl initially admitted that the club were concerned about the recurrence of the problem.

"It's the same problem he had before," Eberl said after the match. "It's resurfaced now. We hope it's not too serious."

However, subsequent medical examinations confirmed a partial tear in the tendon of Neuer's right foot.

Bayern announced that the goalkeeper would be unavailable "for the time being", although the club have not provided a specific recovery timetable.

The injury is another setback for Neuer, who has made nine appearances in all competitions this season.

Despite his latest problems, the former Germany international remains one of the most decorated players in Bundesliga history, having won 13 league titles, a joint record he shares with Thomas Muller.

Neuer is also closing in on the competition's all-time appearance record. He currently has 550 Bundesliga appearances, 52 fewer than Charly Korbel's record of 602.