Borussia Dortmund: Mats Hummels closing in on return from injury

Mats Hummels has confirmed that he is closing in on his return from injury. And the centre-back could even be in the squad for Borussia Dortmund’s game against SC Freiburg this weekend.

Mats Hummels’ preparations for the new season were affected by a patellar tendon issue that forced him to Borussia Dortmund’s first three games of the new season. But if everything goes according to plan, he wants to make the trip to Freiburg for this weekend’s Bundesliga game.

Hummels gave an update on his injury status ahead of Borussia Dortmund’s DFL-Supercup clash against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

"“The plan is that I will at least be there in Freiburg. That I will fly along, regardless of my role,” Hummels told Sky.“I haven’t trained for a very long time now. Right now everything is working well. Every step we take is working. I’ve now also joined parts of team training.”"

While it is unlikely that Hummels will be fit in time to start against SC Freiburg, having him back in the squad soon will be a big boost for Borussia Dortmund. Axel Witsel has started at centre-back in each of the last two games. And while the Belgian international has done a fairly decent job all things considered, Hummels’ return would give the team some much needed defensive security.

Thomas Meunier and Julian Brandt are also closing in on their returns. The duo are out of quarantine and have started doing some light training. Ruhr Nachrichten report that Thorgan Hazard will miss Saturday’s game against SC Freiburg with an ankle injury.

Emre Can and Raphael Guerreiro are also on the comeback trail. But it remains to be seen if they will be able to play against SC Freiburg this weekend. Dan-Axel Zagadou, Soumaila Coulibaly, Nnamdi Collins and Mateu Morey remain sidelined for now.