Holger Badstuber is getting closer and closer to returning from the injury he sustained toward the end of last season. As Bayern start to get into the meat of the Hinrunde schedule, the club will need more bodies to help give other players a break. And, Badstuber is the kind of player that can challenge for a starting spot in this side.
Everyone knows the awful luck that Badstuber has had since December 2012. After tearing his ACL against Borussia Dortmund, Badstuber re-tore it in May 2013. The injury kept him out for the entire 2013-14 season. Then, after a great preseason, Badstuber injured his thigh in September. He returned at the beginning of 2015 and worked his way into Pep Guardiola's first team. He even earned a call-up to the German national team. Bad luck follows Badstuber around, unfortunately, and he was ruled out of the rest of the season with a quadriceps injury suffered against Porto in the Champions League.
"Getting back outside and running is a very important step in rehab training," Badstuber said. "It feels very good to have my whole body moving again, slowly but surely slipping back into the groove. It's great when you sense progress and start to sweat again."
With Medhi Benatia also out injured at the moment and Dante in Wolfsburg, Badstuber will be given every opportunity to become first choice under Guardiola once again. "Slowly but surely, I'm relearning the feeling of being out there on the pitch. I'll be running more intensively soon, and at some point I'll have the ball back at my feet."
There were reports that Badstuber would be returning after the international break, but it appears now that this return is being pushed back a little bit. "It's hard to say when (he'll return)," Badstuber said. "You have to take each day as it comes."
My goals for #ThisSeason pic.twitter.com/7YMV4dkP2W
— Holger Badstuber (@Badstuber) September 10, 2015