Bayer Leverkusen’s highly anticipated new signing Kenneth Aichorn has been ruled out of training indefinitely after being diagnosed with a metabolic disorder, the club confirmed.
The 17-year-old defensive midfielder joined Leverkusen from Hertha Berlin earlier this summer for 9 million euros, with the club winning the race for his signature by promising him a place in the first team. His absence means he will miss the start of the new Bundesliga season with no timeline for his return.
The illness began with a gastrointestinal infection in early July that caused Aichorn to lose up to five kilograms in five days. When his condition failed to improve over the following weeks, further tests revealed the underlying metabolic disorder.
The club decided to remove him from the squad to allow him to be treated at a specialist clinic. Some, according to the source, have claimed that the condition was brought on by excessive stress and the heavy expectations placed on the player.
Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said Aichorn was preparing to begin what the club hoped would be a very long career at the highest level, and pledged that the club would support him in the best way possible along that path.
Rolfes added that what mattered at this stage was that the right measures had been taken for Aichorn’s recovery, and that he would be given the time, calm and peace he needed to heal, without any pressure.
Aichorn had drawn widespread attention last season playing in Germany’s second division with Hertha Berlin, where he set several records, becoming the youngest player to appear in the league, to start as a first-team regular and to score a goal.
