Borussia Dortmund's Achraf Hakimi out for Season with Broken Metatarsal

Borussia Dortmund have announced Achraf Hakimi's season has come to an end, as the young defender has been diagnosed with a broken metatarsal.

DW Sports translated Dortmund's announcement on Twitter:

The 20-year-old lasted just 25 minutes against Wolfsburg before limping to the sidelines. He has already returned to Madrid for surgery.

As Goal's Ronan Murphy shared, the Real Madrid loanee was a major part of the team's strong first half of the season:

Hakimi was thrown in at the deep end in the Spanish capital during the 2017-18 campaign, as a series of injuries forced him into the starting XI before he was ready. The academy product struggled, and a loan seemed inevitable once Los Blancos announced the transfer of the more experienced Alvaro Odriozola.

The temporary exit has proved the right move, as the Morocco international has blossomed in Germany.

He was an instant hit in the Bundesliga, winning the Rookie of the Month award in September:

He went on to win the award again in November, firmly establishing himself as a key player for Die Schwarzgelben.

Hakimi's strong play has continued since, leading to 19 starts in the Bundesliga. Capable of playing as a left-back and right-back, his versatility is one of the main reasons why he has been such a presence in the team.

Dortmund lead the Bundesliga standings by two points, as the title race seems set to go down to the wire. Bayern Munich, who have dominated the competition in recent years, have bounced back from a poor spell before the winter break and will be BVB's next opponents on Saturday.

Losing Hakimi for that contest and the rest of the season is a major blow for Dortmund, who are already light in defence. Abdou Diallo, another young breakout star, also picked up a knock against Wolfsburg and is likely to be out for Saturday's match. Hakimi was his replacement against Die Wolfe.