Schalke coach Jens Keller confirmed Klaas-Jan Huntelaar will not play again this year, regardless of whether he decides to undergo surgery.
The Netherlands international has been out of action since damaging knee ligaments in the 4-0 setback at Wolfsburg in August.
Huntelaar had returned to training but suffered a further setback in training on Monday, with the club releasing a statement saying the 30-year-old could require an operation to resolve the issue.
But Keller said the former Real Madrid and Milan striker will not feature for the Bundesliga outfit again in 2013 regardless of what decision is taken.
It doesn t really matter what the decision is on Klaas Jan Huntelaar, he said.
He can t play until Christmas. It doesn t matter if he decides to have an…