Konstantelias shock injury has immediate consequences for Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund now look unlikely to let the still unhappy Portuguese forward Fabio Silva leave in this transfer window because of the Konstantelias injury. Sporting managing director Lars Ricken hinted as much after the 2-0 opening win over Hamburg SV, when Silva spent the full 90 minutes on the bench and trudged off to the dressing room in visible frustration after the final whistle.

Although sporting director Ole Book all but ruled out the 24-year-old leaving, Ricken said of Silva's complicated situation: "When that happens, a player is naturally not 100 per cent happy, that's part of football. Ultimately, though, we are a team and everyone can play their part. You cannot blame Fabio at all for that. We already said weeks ago that no player here should feel they have to leave the club as quickly as possible."

Recently, Silva made his disappointment at being behind the new Greek duo of Konstantelias and Konstantinos Karetsas, as well as Serhou Guirassy, quite clear and did not rule out leaving Dortmund after just one season. "I don't know what will happen," he said after the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup against Bayern Munich (1-2), when he replaced the disappointing Guirassy and scored Dortmund's goal to make it 2-1.

Fabio Silva set to leave? BVB striker reportedly in high demand

"Of course I want to start more games and help the team. I want to be even more important. If I say anything else, I would be lying. I always tell the truth," Silva himself said about his life as a reserve.

Previously, Sky reported that "clubs from Spain, clubs also from Holland are looking closely at Fabio Silva". Real Betis are said to be among the Spanish sides interested in the attacker. At the time, Sky put the chances of Silva leaving at 50 per cent.

Saturday evening is likely to have changed that abruptly. Konstantelias, who marked a strong Bundesliga debut with a goal, is suspected of having suffered a cruciate ligament tear.

BVB coach Niko Kovac said: "We have to talk about something more serious. We will have the examination on Sunday. But at least it doesn't sound good from what the doctor told me." Ricken went a step further: "If we are honest, at the moment we have to assume the worst-case scenario."

At the start of the second half, Konstantelias twisted his knee in what had looked like a harmless challenge. He managed to leave the pitch under his own power after lengthy treatment, but the body language and facial expressions of the player and staff already pointed to bad news.

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New chance for Fabio Silva at BVB after Inacio nightmare?

Instead of Silva, Kovac sent on the much more defensive Marcel Sabitzer for Konstantelias. Then, when he took off Karetsas, the second attacking half-space player, the Portuguese still did not get on because top talent Samuele Inacio was preferred.

For the 18-year-old, it quickly turned into a nightmare. Only a few minutes after coming on, he saw red after an over-eager challenge on Albert Grönbaek. That means Inacio will be unavailable to BVB for at least two matches, and Silva could now suddenly be pushed into the starting line-up after all.

Still, Silva had hardly ever convinced there in his debut season. His best games for the Black and Yellows came as a super-sub, when his high work rate, commitment and good dynamism changed the structure of Dortmund's play after he came on. Ten of Silva's 11 goal involvements so far have come as a substitute in Dortmund.

Now he is likely to get at least two fresh chances to prove himself, if Kovac sticks with his system of Guirassy as the central striker and two half-space players behind him. If he takes them in the absence of the suspended Inacio, the probably lengthy absence of Konstantelias could yet give him the much bigger role at BVB he had been hoping for this season.

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Even so, Ricken did not rule out BVB moving in the transfer market because of Konstantelias' presumed absence for months. "Depending on how serious the injury actually is, we will align our next steps accordingly. But one thing is certain: in the next three days, we are not planning anything," said Ricken.

Meanwhile, another return for Jadon Sancho, who is still without a club, could once again become a serious option in the plans of the BVB bosses.

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