Bayern Munich's French winger, Franck Ribery, will soon return to action after having been on the sidelines for eight months. He is currently out because of an ankle problem he sustained while playing against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.
A tough time for Ribery
A date has not been specified for his return to action, but the current Bundesliga champions are hoping to have him back before the winter break. The former French international told kicker: "My body's first got to get used to the exertions, since I was wearing a plaster cast, I lost a lot of muscle and it was a long break."
The dynamic winger has just returned to light training and is not rushing his return to action, "You've got to take things slowly. It would be nice to be back in two or three weeks, to get that feeling of being part of a group back, to laugh with the lads and have fun - I've missed all that."
Ribery has been at the club since 2007 and has been an integral part of the Bayern side that have won trophies constantly over the past few years. He has racked up five German titles, four German cups, and one Champions League amongst many others accolades.
Will he get his starting spot back?
The 32-year-old will though find it tough to return to such a talented team. Brazilian Douglas Costa, Dutchman Arjen Robben and fellow Frenchman Kingsley Coman currently fill the void left by the influential player and all have been in superb form this season.The Bavarians currently top the Bundesliga table with a five point gap over their nearest rivals Borussia Dortmund and look formidable, both domestically and in Europe.
The German giants look like they will be challenging an all fronts. The Bundesliga title looks to be theirs already, and they will also be in the hunt for the DFB-Pokal and the Champions Legaue.