Philipp Lahm injury update: Captain takes next step in recovery

Philipp Lahm trained with the ball at his feet on Monday for the first time since breaking his ankle in November. Under the supervision of Bayern Munich rehab coach Thomas Wilhelmi, Lahm participated in some short passing drills before finishing his training program with running exercises.

It was only a week ago that Lahm returned to the training field for the first time since the injury, so it's not completely shocking that he's already incorporating the ball into his rehab program. It looks more and more likely that Lahm will return to the field by his predicted date of early March.

As we've discussed in recent weeks, the midfield partnership of Xabi Alonso and Bastian Schweinsteiger hasn't really taken off and soared to the heights that many expected. Lahm was a central figure in Bayern's midfield during the Hinrunde, and his return can only be seen as a good thing for Pep Guardiola.

Lahm gives the Spaniard the ability to deploy a three man midfield of Alonso-Lahm-Schweinsteiger. With Lahm in place to perform the defensive duties of the midfield, Alonso would be freed up a little bit more to create, while Schweinsteiger can max out his box-to-box responsibilities.