Bundesliga
Look who's back training!
Borussia Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck was spotted running laps in training on Tuesday as he continues his rehabilitation after undergoing surgery for a long-term knee injury.
Back in early April, Schlotterbeck received the bad news that he had torn the meniscus in his left knee, which would leave him sidelined for the remainder of Dortmund's season, the latter stages of the UEFA Nations League with Germany, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
A vital component within Niko Kovač's squad, BVB sporting director Sebastian Kehl spoke at the time on the centre-back's injury, saying: "Nico's absence is a hammer blow," before providing an estimated timeframe for his return, adding: "he'll be out for several months, about half a year."
However, on 29 July, Schlotterbeck was seen being put through his paces at Dortmund's training centre whilst his teammates prepared for their pre-season friendly against SF Siegen on Wednesday.
>>> Keep up to date with all the Bundesliga sides' pre-season schedules!
It was a positive sign for Dortmund fans, especially considering Schlotterbeck had largely withdrawn from social media since his injury.
The German international is wholly focused on his recovery. Nevertheless, although this is a positive sign, BVB official sources are yet to provide any update as to whether Schlotterbeck is ahead of his rehabilitation schedule.
As such, the No.4 remains expected back no earlier than October and is set to miss Dortmund's DFB Cup first-round encounter against Rot-Weiss Essen on 18 August as well as their Bundesliga opener on the road at St. Pauli the following Saturday.