Gio Reyna’s absence against Hertha BSC a precautionary measure

Edin Terzic has revealed that Gio Reyna’s absence against Hertha Berlin on Saturday was a precautionary measure, as they look to get him back to full fitness.

Gio Reyna made his long awaited return from injury last weekend, but was somewhat surprisingly left out of the Borussia Dortmund squad for their Bundesliga clash against Hertha BSC on Saturday. Edin Terzic revealed after the game that the USMNT international has been working hard in training, but they did not want to take any risks with his fitness.

The Borussia Dortmund head coach added that they want to learn from the past and make sure that they bring him back into the fold very carefully.

"“With Gio, it’s a special situation. Gio has been struggling with injuries for almost a year now. He kept fighting back and was then quickly disappointed again when the injuries kept returning.”“He actually trained very well this week. We have a very specific program tailored to him. But he didn’t feel good before the game. And when he feels that, then there’s no point in risking the next setback.”“But we will continue to build him up carefully in the hope that he will fully join in training from next week. We’d rather give up one or two appearances than risk having to do without someone for months.”"

Reyna endured a very difficult time due to injuries last season. He suffered a number of injury setbacks last season that slowed his progress and limited him to just 13 appearances across all competitions.

The 19 year old made his first competitive appearance since April last weekend as he came off the bench during Borussia Dortmund’s 3-2 loss to Werder Bremen.

Borussia Dortmund have made it clear on a number of occasions that they will integrate Reyna back into the team very slowly in order to avoid any risks of him suffering another setback.

A busy run of fixtures awaits Borussia Dortmund in the coming weeks, with the UEFA Champions League group stage about to get underway. And Gio Reyna will certainly get some playing time that will allow him to make more progress in his bid to find some match rhythm.