VfB Stuttgart suffers another injury blow. Nikolas Nartey suffered a muscle injury in the game against Hansa Rostock and will be out for several weeks. The 26-year-old was on the verge of becoming a regular starter in the Bundesliga season. However, not in his usual role as a central midfielder. Nor in a row further forward or on the left defensive side, where he has already acted as a substitute in the past. But on foreign terrain. As a right-back. In the absence of Lorenz Assignon, who came to the VfB last summer for 12 million euros from Stade Rennes and is still recovering from a shoulder operation at the end of the season, Nartey would have been much more than a stopgap. The all-rounder had earned his new status fairly. This became even clearer with the situation of Josha Vagnoman. The two-time national player, who was even considered a serious candidate for Julian Nagelsmann's World Cup squad, completed the entire pre-season like Nartey. However, Vagnoman fell far behind him. Hoeneß seemed to have concerns about his fluctuating performances in recent years. Now Vagnoman will travel to Munich for the opening game as the A-solution, while the injury-prone loan returnee Leonidas Sterigou is still far from the starting lineup and Finn Jeltsch is needed on his preferred position in the central defense. Vagnoman had replaced Nartey against Rostock and even prepared the third goal of Pejcinovic. On Friday, the biggest test awaits the 25-year-old, when he will face no one less than Luis Diaz. In his debut season, the left winger scored 15 goals and 17 assists for FC Bayern. Even bigger seems the task with a view to the Swabian hospital, which is bursting at the seams. Because not only Nartey's working day in Rostock was ended early. Chris Führich also left the field injured after a blow to the thigh, - to whose health status the VfB initially kept quiet. If the worst fears for the offensive player come true, who almost sprang onto the World Cup train with outstanding performances in the season finale, Hoeneß would have eight (!) potential starters missing at the start against the Bayern. In addition to the trio of Nartey, Führich and Assignon, Dan-Axel Zagadou (thigh injury) and the new number one Dennis Seimen are in any case not available. The latter returned with great fanfare from his loan from Paderborn, before he suffered a severe thigh injury shortly after his return to the Neckar. At the earliest in late September, the 20-year-old, who is considered one of the greatest goalkeeper talents in the country, will be back between the posts. Replaced will be him by Fabian Bredlow, because the responsible ones around sports director Fabian Wohlgemuth were aware of a reaction on the transfer market and entrusted the veteran with the trust for the transition period. Questionable are the central defenders Ramon Hendriks as well as Luca Jaquez (both muscle problems) and the 15 million euro heavy newcomer Leo Sauer, who could theoretically replace Führich on the left wing. The Slovakian only recently joined the team training, after he suffered a painful muscle tear at ex-employer Feyenoord Rotterdam in late March. Furthermore, Hoeneß will probably have to do without Dauerpatient Justin Diehl (thigh injury) and Jeremy Arevalo (back problems). The talented attacking duo was parked mainly at the second team in the past season, but could have been considered as options from the bench in the event of the injury crisis. The more painful is the loss of Stuttgart's all-rounder Nartey, who was actually supposed to write a new chapter in his personal fairy tale in an unfamiliar role. Now followed the next misfortune of the VfB.