Gladbach sign Germany international Julian Weigl

Weigl returns to German football on a season-long loan with Gladbach and will wear the number 8 shirt for the Foals, who have started the new 2022/23 campaign brightly. Daniel Farke's side are unbeaten after four matches and have collected eight points.

The arrival further strengthens the Gladbach squad, where Weigl will compete with the likes of Christoph Kramer and Manu Kone for a place at the base of their midfield. The move will also put Wiegl at the forefront of Germany coach Hansi Flick's mind with the FIFA World Cup on the horizon this winter.

"Julian is hugely assured on the ball," said Borussia sporting director Roland Virkus. "He brings a lot of Bundesliga experience and footballing quality and will be able to quickly help our team with his dependability."

Weigl began his career at 1860 Munich, where he emerged from the club's academy before making his professional debut in Germany's second division back in 2014. After 40 appearances for 1860's first team, Weigl made the move to Dortmund in 2015 and went on to win the DFB Cup in 2017 and Supercup at the start of the 2019/20 campaign.

After chalking up 171 appearances for Dortmund, Benfica signed Weigl midway through that same 2019/20 season. He was named the club's Player of the Season in the following campaign - his first full term in Lisbon - and, having made five Germany appearances between 2016 and 2017, Weigl was recalled to the national team this year. He collected his sixth cap in a 2-0 win over Israel in March.