Hamburg defender Alex Silva has been ruled out for at least eight months with a knee injury picked up in Tuesday's friendly clash with Wacker Innsbruck.

The Brazil international left the club's training camp camp in Langenfeld, Austria on crutches following the match and a scan back in Germany revealed he had suffered cruciate ligament damage.

"Alex will be out of action for eight to 10 months," Hamburg team doctor Oliver Dierk revealed.

The 24-year-old, who arrived at Hamburg from Sao Paulo last year, will undergo surgery in the coming days.