James Sands has suffered a major setback during his loan spell at German Bundesliga club St. Pauli.
Sands underwent surgery on Sunday to repair a complex right ankle injury involving a fractured fibula and torn medial collateral ligament, Sands’ parent club NYCFC announced. He will be out indefinitely and there is no timetable for his return this season.
The NYCFC loanee made seven appearances for St. Pauli since joining on loan in January. Sands, 24, logged 452 minutes of playing time for St. Pauli, helping the club to a 2-1-4 record in league play during that span.
Sands’ move to Germany was his second loan spell in Europe after previously spending time with Scottish Premiership giants Rangers. He has logged 194 combined appearances for four clubs during his career, which also included a stop at USL Championship side Louisville City FC.
Sands has earned 13 caps for the U.S. men’s national team to date and remains an option for Mauricio Pochettino’s squad going forward.
St. Pauli sits in 14th place in the German top-flight.
