Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben injury updates

After a week-long break, Franck Ribery finally returned to the training ground. The reason for his absence was mysterious, but Bild reported that it was cold that kept him away from Bayern Munich over the last week. Niko Kovac had hoped to get him back on Monday, but it took until today for the Frenchman to feel well enough to train.

Under the direction of assistant coach Peter Herrmann and head fitness trainer Dr. Holger Broich, Ribery worked out on the grass for about an hour.

Arjen Robben also worked out today with Herrmann and Dr. Broich. After an hour of working out with Ribery, the Dutchman continued working out for an additional twenty minutes after Ribery went into the locker room.

Robben’s extra training session included running laps, continuous head-balls, wind sprints, and taking shots at the young, star goalkeeper Christian Früchtl. He apparently worked himself to total exhaustion, as after the training he was spotted laying face down on grass.

It appears that both Ribery and Robben are close to being back to their top fitness levels. With their time winding down at FC Bayern, it would be nice to see them back on the pitch for the Rekordmeister soon as they continue to hunt down Borussia Dortmund for the top spot in the Bundesliga. On top of the weekly Bundesliga fixtures, Bayern will face Hertha Berlin in the DFB-Pokal, as well as Liverpool in the Champions League in February. The club will need as many healthy players as possible as it competes on three fronts over the coming months.