Reus and Gündogan make comebacks in Dortmund reserves
Dortmund - Borussia Dortmund duo and are edging ever closer to a return to the first team after playing in a reserve match on Friday morning.
Fit for Matchday 8?
The game, against the VfL Bochum reserves, took place behind closed doors at Dortmund's training complex, with Gündogan appearing for 45 minutes and scoring once in a 2-0 victory for BVB.
The outing marked the long-awaited return to action for the Germany midfielder, 422 days after sustaining a back injury on 14 August 2013 during an international friendly with Paraguay. Gündogan initially underwent conservative treatment on an inflamed nerve root, but after it proved unsuccessful he had surgery in June this year. The 23-year-old is expected to be in coach Jürgen Klopp's squad that travels to
. Reus is likewise set to feature in that fixture, and if his recovery continues as planned he could even make the starting XI. The 25-year-old tore ligaments in Germany's 2-1 victory over Scotland in their first Group D UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying match on 7 September.
Zorc: 'Gündogan looked comfortable'
"Both of them looked very good," Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc told
BVB.de
after watching the match alongside Klopp. "Especially when you consider how long Ilkay has been away. He looked very comfortable on the ball, but it was only his first test and it was only for one half so we shouldn't attach too much importance to it." Dortmund revealed the news of the pair's return on their Twitter account on Friday. It reads: "Friendly match: The reserves beat VfL Bochum 2-0. Gündogan (one goal) and Reus both played for 45 minutes."
