'Day by day' - Bayer Leverkusen boss Erik Ten Hag issues injury update on USMNT midfielder Malik Tillman after preseason knock

U.S. international Malik Tillman sustained a knock with Bayer Leverkusen and has been ruled out for their preseason finale against Chelsea FC on Friday, manager Erik Ten Hag confirmed on Wednesday.

The injury has been labeled as a "minor strain from training" and it's held the 23-year-old Tillman back from making his debut for the Bundesliga side after securing a reported €35 million transfer from PSV this summer.

"I can't say [when Tillman will be back]. We'll have to wait and see if it works out day by day," Ten Hag told Bild ahead of their match against the Blues in their preseason finale later this week. "I'm sure he won't be able to be there on Friday." 

Asked if the injury has worsened in recent days, Ten Hag said, “We don’t believe that."

Tillman was a breakout star for the USMNT at the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, registering five goal contributions as the U.S. made the final of the competition. 

He was handed the No. 10 shirt at Leverkusen, replacing club icon Florian Wirtz in the attacking midfield as he departed for Liverpool for a British-record fee of  $157M (€134 million)

Leverkusen finished second in the Bundesliga last season, behind Bayern Munich. Tillman is coming off of two straight Eredivisie titles with PSV in the Dutch Eredivisie. 

Tillman's older brother, Timothy, has one cap with the USMNT. He plays for LAFC in Major League Soccer. 

Leverkusen kick off their 2025 campaign on Aug. 15 with a DFB-Pokal match against fourth-tier side Sonnenhof Großaspach. Their Bundesliga season begins on Aug. 23 with a home match against Hoffenheim.