Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic has been informed he is out for eight months with his knee injury.

The 20-year-old Fiorentina star was originally thought to be out for between six and seven months, but the situation is even worse than feared.

"He will require two operations. The first to stabilise the external collateral ligament and external meniscus, while the stabilisation of the anterior cruciate ligament will be done in a second operation," Dr Ulrich Boenisch told the official Fiorentina website.

The surgery will begin on Monday in Augsburg, near Munich, where the likes of Arjen Robben and Miroslav Klose have already been treated.

"The lay-off time will be around two months more than the six for a traditional operation, but the two surgeries will guarantee an easier recovery process for the player."

He added: "He was very shaken. I described the clinical diagnosis and found him to be in shock when he realised how bad the lesion was and what awaits him.

"At the end of the day I think he found faith in us and relaxed a little bit. The most difficult thing is telling a young athlete that he'll need two operations with an 8-10 week gap between them.

"I urge the fans to have faith, not just in me, but in the work of the club's whole medical staff. It is crucial that my operation goes well, but the rehabilitation must also be perfect."