Borussia Mönchengladbach confirm season-ending surgery for goalkeeper Moritz Nicolas | OneFootball

German keeper Moritz Nicolas will miss the duration of the 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign after undergoing adductor surgery on Monday. The news is bitter for the 27-year-old, who finally officially established himself as Borussia Mönchengladbach’s No. 1 in November. Nicolas’ improbable rise led to him displacing Swiss international and BMG captain Jonas Omlin.

When Omlin arrived to take over for long-time keeper Yann Sommer, Omlin was immediately earmarked as the man tasked with leading the team. Then head coach Daniel Farke transferred the captain’s armband directly to Omlin.

As Omlin struggled with injury over the course of the season, it still didn’t seem as if Nicolas would get his chance. Back-up Tobias Sippel and Gladbach’s presumed keeper of the future, Jan Olschowsky, earned appearances under Farke. Nicolas was out on his fourth loan stint in the Dutch second division.

Nicolas surprisingly found himself tapped by Gerardo Seoane when Sippel succumbed to injury in September 2023. At the age of 26, Nicolas made just his second Bundesliga appearance against record champions Bayern Munich on the 2023/24 season’s third matchday.

After making 27 league and three cup appearances last year, Nicolas took over for Omlin again on matchday four following another injury this year. Until having to be subbed off against Union Berlin this past weekend, he had made 18 consecutive league starts.

Omlin is again fit and will take over, just as he did in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Union. After the full-time whistle, Seaone told Sky Germany that he felt “lucky to have two top class goalkeepers.

“Of course we are all very sorry for him that he has now been stopped by an injury,” Gladbach sporting director Moritz Nicolas noted in a club statement. “Mo knows that the whole club is behind him and we will support him in any way we can to help him come back from this stronger. Moritz has developed fantastically and had an outstanding season.”

GGFN | Peter Weis