Hitzlsperger to undergo knee operation

VfL Wolfsburg will be without Germany and former West Ham midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger for the foreseeable future as the 29-year-old is set to undergo knee surgery on Friday. Having joined the 2009 German champions from West Ham United in July, Hitzlsperger had returned to the Bundesliga in a bid to revive his career with the national side. He has made five appearances this season in the German league, but only one over 90 minutes, and has been plagued by problems with the meniscus in his knee. "This is a shame, I had expected to have him in our midfield," said Wolfsburg Felix Magath, whose side face defending German league champions Dortmund on Saturday. Hitzlsperger won the most recent of his 52 caps for Germany in the 2-2 draw with Denmark in August 2010.