Borussia Dortmund's Peter Bosz taking no chances with returning Mario Götze
Borussia Dortmund star Mario Götze will not be risked in Tuesday's pre-season friendly with Rot-Weiss Essen, BVB head coach Peter Bosz has confirmed.
Götze only returned to team training last Friday following a lengthy spell on the sidelines attributed to "metabolic disturbances", and has not played competitively since the end of January.
"Mario was ill for a long time and didn't train for five months," Bosz said ahead of his first outing since replacing Thomas Tuchel in the Dortmund hot seat on 6 June. "I'm not going to bring him in yet, it's too early. You have to be careful with these things."
Although Götze will be a spectator in Essen, there is every chance of the Germany international playing some part in friendlies against Urawa Reds and AC Milan during BVB's week-long summer tour of Asia (13-19 July).
"We shouldn't expect too much, too soon," commented Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc. "It was a tough time for him, but the first impressions have been great. We're hopeful for the coming months."
DFB Cup holders Dortmund do no return to competitive action until 5 August, when they face defending Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in the curtain-raising Supercup.
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