David Alaba is hoping to be back in action for Bayern Munich before the end of the season.
Alaba, 22, suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee during Austria's international friendly with Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday.
It is his second major knee injury of the campaign, and there are fears he will now be out of action until next season.
An optimistic prognosis would see the Austrian return for the last few fixtures, which might include the DFB-Pokal final in late May and the Champions League final in early June.
"I'm obviously really disappointed at the moment," Alaba told the club's official website. "I have one big target: I want to be back for the finale this season."
Having already sustained a partially torn ligament in his other knee last November, he knows that it's crucial to allow himself time to recover fully.
"I'll make sure I recover completely and then I'll go for it in rehab," he added.
Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: "We can't change the situation. It would be a mistake for Bayern Munich to start moaning now. It obviously hurts us because David was in great shape and scoring important goals from free kicks."
With Arjen Robben out until the end of April, Rummenigge at least had some good news for supporters by announcing that holding midfielder Javi Martinez could return to training "in approximately two weeks."
He also hopes that winger Franck Ribery will be back by next week at the latest.
"If he's [Ribery] not feeling good and if he's in pain he can't play," Rummenigge said. "If he's not fit for Saturday [when they take on Dortmund], I'm hoping he'll at least be available for the cup tie at Leverkusen next Wednesday.
"That would be important because Arjen Robben won't be back for a number of weeks."