John Tolkin is set to miss a busy stretch of crucial matches for German second-tier side Holstein Kiel.

Tolkin has been diagnosed with a knee injury after being substituted off in the eighth minutes of Kiel’s 2-1 league win over Fortuna Dusseldorf last Friday. There is no official timetable for Tolkin’s return but the club announced Monday that he wouldn’t be available “in the coming weeks”.

Tolkin suffered the injury early in Friday’s match and was forced to watch the remainder of it from the sidelines. The 23-year-old is in his second season with Holstein Kiel after joining from the New York Red Bulls in January 2025.

After making 11 appearances during the second-half of last season’s Bundesliga campaign, Tolkin has scored two goals and added two assists in 31 second-division appearances this season.

The versatile fullback/wingback remained an option for the U.S. men’s national team after earning 10 caps to date. However, his new injury could force him out of World Cup contention this summer with Antonee Robinson and Max Arfsten already sitting No. 1 and 2 respectively on Mauricio Pochettino’s depth chart.

Holstein Kiel sits12th in the 2. Bundesliga standings, but are only two points clear of the relegation zone with five matches to play.

Up next for the club is a home showdown with Kaiserslautern on April 17 before a trip to Hertha Berlin eight days later. Two of their final five matches are against clubs below them in the standings; Eintracht Braunschweig and Magdeburg.