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Preparing for their second leg match against Shakhtar Donetsk, Bayern Munich saw a critical player return to the practice field: 31-year-old captain Philipp Lahm.
The skipper has missed the last three-and-a-half months with an ankle fracture he suffered in training. The injury absence is the longest of his career since the knee injury at the beginning of his Bayern career.
The skipper is back! :-) Welcome back to team training, Philipp #Lahm! More shortly on http://t.co/eqrJtcDvMv! pic.twitter.com/LctDTO8NrH
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) March 9, 2015
The Bayern official website is reporting Lahm participated in an entire training session without any problems. Manager Pep Guardiola gave him his hand immediately before training commenced to welcome the veteran back from injury.
"He made a very good impression," Manuel Neuer told the club website. "Everybody is happy that he is back."
Bayern relied on Rafinha and Mitchell Weiser in Lahm's stead, a reflection of how thin the Rekordmeister's fullback depth is without a healthy version of their captain. They host Shakhtar on Wednesday, a team sheet Lahm sneak his name onto.