Germany's Hummels faces Euro 2016 race against time

Berlin (AFP) – Germany’s Mats Hummels admits he is facing a race against time to be fit for the World Cup winners’ first game of Euro 2016 in little over a fortnight.

Germany open their European campaign against Ukraine in Lille on June 12, but centre-back Hummels is struggling with a torn calf muscle he suffered in the German Cup final on May 21 and has not trained since.

Hummels missed Sunday’s 3-1 friendly defeat to Slovakia in Augsburg, remaining at the team’s pre-Euro 2016 camp in Ascona, Switzerland, for extra treatment.

Joachim Loew must trim four names from his 27-man squad before midnight on Tuesday and Germany’s coach says he will not take a player to Euro 2016 who is unfit.

But Hummels admits he probably will not be ready to face Ukraine, or even for their second Group C match four days later against Poland.

“It’s going to take a while until I can kick a ball again,” Hummels, who will join Bayern Munich from Borussia Dortmund next season, told broadcaster ZDF.

“First of all, I need to be 100 percent fit. We’ll have to see which game I can aim for.

“Perhaps it won’t be ready, or maybe even for the second.

“You probably won’t see me train with the team in Ascona at all.”

Germany have one more Euro 2016 warm-up game against Hungary on Saturday in Gelsenkirchen.

Dortmund winger Marco Reus is struggling with a groin injury while Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger is recovering after tearing his medial knee ligament in March.