Borussia Dortmund defender Dan Axel Zagadou does not need surgery on injured knee

Borussia Dortmund defender Dan Axel Zagadou will not be requiring surgery on the knee injury he suffered earlier this month, meaning he could yet play a part for the team this season.

Dan Axel Zagadou suffered a serious ligament injury in his left knee during training earlier this month. Borussia Dortmund did not provide a timeframe for his return, but said that he would spend the next few weeks working with the club’s rehab coaches.

Now the Frenchman has received some positive news on his road to recovery, with Ruhr Nachrichten reporting that he will not be requiring surgery on his knee, and he has been able to start light rehab exercises this week. As a result, the probability of him being able to play again this season has now increased.

Having Zagadou back for the business end of the campaign would be a big boost to Borussia Dortmund, who are currently locked in the Bundesliga title battle. The 20 year old has been one of the team’s most consistent performers this season, and has been undroppable since breaking into the team in late November.

Without Zagadou, Borussia Dortmund only have three specialist centre-back in their ranks. Of those three, Manuel Akanji has proved to be error-prone this season, while Leonardo Balerdi has hardly been used since his January 2019 move. Lukasz Piszczek and Emre Can are also capable of filling in at centre-back.

The Bundesliga could be set to return in two weeks’ time with the final decision resting in the hands of the German politicians who are due to meet on April 30.