The long wait at BVB is over. With the start of the preparation for the second part of the season, Sébastien Haller, who has been suffering from cancer, returns to the team circle.
For the seriously ill Sébastien Haller, the long road back to normality has begun. After two operations and chemotherapy, the 28-year-old attacker returned to his teammates at Borussia Dortmund late on Monday afternoon for the first time since his testicular cancer diagnosis. He completed parts of the obligatory performance diagnostics at the kick-off of the preparation for the second part of the season in the Bundesliga. At 5 p.m., Haller drove alone by car to the BVB training grounds – accompanied by a flurry of flashbulbs from the numerous photo cameras.
In the evening, BVB published a short statement by Haller to the fans via social media. “Hi guys, I’m finally back,” the striker introduced the 14-second clip. “It wasn’t so easy, but with your support it went better and was easier to manage.” He said he was now looking ahead and looking forward to seeing the fans back in the stadium “for some victories”.
Signed from Ajax Amsterdam last summer for over 30 million euros, Dortmund’s record-breaking purchase, who was intended as a replacement for top scorer Erling Haaland (Manchester City), had to undergo a second operation before the end of November.
According to current plans, Haller will travel with the Bundesliga sixth-placed team to Marbella next Friday for the week-long coaching camp. “He feels a huge desire to finally be back with us and to be able to train. We are totally excited for him and about him,” sporting director Sebastian Kehl recently told the “Ruhr Nachrichten”.
Based on the data obtained during the medical test, a careful rehabilitation training is to take place – without pressure from the club’s management. The next few days will be looked at, Kehl told the WAZ. “There is a positive tendency with him.”
The new year also began for the other BVB professionals with the determination of fitness values. According to reports, Marco Reus seems to have overcome his ankle injury and to be available again after months of forced rest. There are similarly positive prognoses for convalescents such as Mahmoud Dahoud, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (both shoulder surgery), Anthony Modeste (groin surgery) and Marius Wolf (balance problems), whom coach Edin Terzic welcomed seven weeks after the inglorious end to the year in Mönchengladbach (2:4) and the drop to sixth place.
“The squad should be relatively full when we fly to Marbella,” said Kehl. “The fact that many players are coming back who we missed a lot will increase the competition. That makes us optimistic.”
The first full unit on the pitch is due to take place on Wednesday. The fine-tuning for the Bundesliga restart on 22 January against FC Augsburg will take place in Marbella. Tests against Fortuna Düsseldorf (10 January) and FC Basel (13 January) will take place there.
