Fahrmann ruled out for 3 months

Bundesliga giants Schalke will be without goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann for the rest of the year after he suffered a major knee injury which is expected to keep him out for three months. The 23-year-old, who replaced Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in the Schalke goal after his departure to Bayern Munich, badly damaged knee ligaments in the 2-1 home defeat by Kaiserslautern last Saturday. He has torn his medial ligament and damaged the cruciate ligament in his left knee, and the Royal Blues are waiting to hear if he will undergo surgery. "Ralf will be out for at least three months," Schalke general manager Horst Heldt told Bild. As the Bundesliga takes a winter break at the end of December, Fahrmann is not expected to play again until 21 January 2012 at the earliest.