Schweinsteiger closing in on return to training
Riva del Garda - Bayern Munich vice captain Bastian Schweinsteiger is closing in on a return to full training after undergoing ankle surgery last month.
Injured stars
The 28-year-old is likely to be put through his paces alongside his team-mates “in the coming week”, according to Bayern coach Pep Guardiola, speaking at the treble winners’ summer training camp at Lake Garda.
Schweinsteiger, who went under the knife to resolve an ankle problem on 3 June, is currently following an individual training regime aimed at strengthening the muscles and joints ahead of his return to action.
Mario Götze is also working his way back to fitness away from the rest of the squad as he looks to come back from a thigh strain he picked up while playing for Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final of their UEFA Champions League tie with Real Madrid CF.
Team building
The injury ruled him out of the Champions League final, but he has followed his new colleagues to Lake Garda, along with Holger Badstuber, who is recovering after a knee operation. Guardiola wanted his entire squad together in the same hotel, even though Götze admits he is unlikely to be fit “until the end of July” while Badstuber cannot plan on returning before April at the earliest.
Meanwhile, fellow defender and Germany international Jerome Boateng was absent from training on Friday morning due to a stomach bug.
