Javi Martinez undergoes successful knee surgery

Bayern Munich midfielder Javi Martinez underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair a damaged meniscus in his left knee and faces a lay-off of about four weeks, according to the club. The Spaniard will miss the first leg of the Champions League tie against Juventus on Feb. 23.

Javi Martinez was injured on January 22nd in the first game of the Rückrunde against Hamburg and sustained lasting discomfort in the following week. Initially injury reports were varied on the severity of the injury however MRI showed the player only suffered minor damage. The player himself tweeted on his twitter account, stating that the injury was not that serious.

Normally a midfielder, Martinez has been playing as a central defender most of the time under coach Pep Guardiola. Bayern signed former Stuttgart player Serdar Tasci on Monday to compensate for the injuries to both Javi Martinez and Jerome Boateng, who will be out for three months with a groin injury.