After fully three months laid low by an illness, things are finally looking up for Bastian Schweinsteiger. The Germany international resumed the squad training programme last week, before returning to match action in Sunday’s 13-0 win in Albstadt and marking his comeback with a well-taken brace. The youngster is steadily emerging from the cloud of uncertainty which has hung over him since he was diagnosed with Lyme’s disease.
“The knee’s holding up,” Schweinsteiger beamed at the Säbener Straße on Tuesday afternoon. The player knows he is a little behind his team-mates in terms of fitness, “but I’m catching up fast, and I’ll be fully fit in time for the start of the season.“
Hitzfeld sees role for Schweini
The 22-year-old is well on course for a place in the team for the German Cup first round tie on 6 August. Schweinsteiger’s next run-out is almost certain to be Wednesday’s friendly in Monchengladbach, and he is also keen to feature in Saturday’s League Cup showdown against Werder Bremen. “We’ll see how it goes this week,” he remarked
Ottmar Hitzfeld declared himself delighted at Schweinsteiger’s return to contention in midfield. “Bastian is a very important player for us,” the coach observed, “he’s definitely one of our front-runners.”
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