Borussia Dortmund star Nico Schlotterbeck has hinted that he's still some way off returning to action from his injury.
The BVB centre-back is currently recovering from a ligament tear he suffered in his left ankle at the World Cup with Germany.
He went off in their second group stage match against Ivory Coast and missed the remainder of their campaign.
The defender, one of the key players in Niko Kovac's back-three last term, also missed the entirety of Dortmund's preseason campaign as well as the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup against Bayern Munich on Saturday.
With his return still unclear, Schlotterbeck issued a worrying update on Sky during his attendance for Audi team at the Formula 1 race in Zandvoort.
"It is simply a lengthy story"
Opening up on his injury, which he sustained over two months ago now, he said:
"It was no joke at the World CupAt first I thought it wasn't that bad, then I kept playing."
Schlotterbeck was seen in discomfort following a collision with an Ivorian player midway through the opening stanza but was only replaced at half-time by then-Germany manager Julian Naglesmann.
The 26-year-old has since been in recovery mode. He's currently undergoing a rehab program at Dortmund although the club hasn't set a date for his return after initially expecting Schlotterbeck to recover by September.
But he seemed hopeful:
"We have to look at it day by day. We are trying to let it heal well and do good work, with the physios and the rehab coaches. Then I believe it won't take that much longer."
Dortmund finished the 2025-26 Bundesliga campaign with the fewest number of goals conceded, and Schlotterbeck was certainly vital to that.
Physically dominant and aggressive in defending, he proved to be a reliable figure in defense for the BVB with his consistently top-notch displays.
The defender registered the most number of duels in the side (293) after only Waldemar Anton (298), while boasting an admirable 88.5% pass success rate.
More importantly, he also chipped in with five league goals, the joint-most by a defender in the Bundesliga last season alongside his BVB teammate Ramy Bensebaini.
Schlotterbeck's propensity to pop up with a goal every now and then added a new dimension to his game, while giving Dortmund another outlet, especially in set-pieces.
Joining from Freiburg on a €25 million transfer in 2022, the Germany international has amassed 161 appearances for Dortmund till now.
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