This is really bitter news from VfB Stuttgart: While central defender Ameen Al-Dakhil has made his debut in the starting lineup, his counterpart is out again.

In the 1-1 draw for VfB Stuttgart in the friendly against second division side SSV Ulm 1846 Fußball, Ameen Al-Dakhil and Anthony Rouault formed the center-back duo. Unfortunately, the prospect of Dan-Axel Zagadou joining them in the future has been ruled out for the time being.

The former BVB player is relentlessly pursued by his injury luck. At the end of January 2024, Zagadou, who already has a long medical record, tore his cruciate ligament. The 25-year-old center back recovered from this, but then, of course, had a training deficit.

In recent weeks, he has been getting closer and has also taken part in team training. Then, at the end of September, the shock: Zagadou suffered an injury to his lateral ligament. On Wednesday, October 9, the 25-year-old then underwent knee surgery and will be out for several months. This was announced by his home club VfB Stuttgart.

“Dan-Axel was on his way back to his old strength, so this setback is all the more bitter for him and, of course, for us. At the same time, we firmly believe that Daxo, with his great fighting spirit, will also overcome this challenge. We will give him all the support he needs to do so,” said Stuttgart’s sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth.

Zagadou is a product of the Paris Saint-Germain youth program and, at 6’5” (1.96 m), is a towering figure for a center back. His talent is undisputed, but so is his susceptibility to injury.

He joined Borussia Dortmund for the 2017/18 season. A selection of the injuries he has suffered since then: torn muscle bundle, torn lateral ligament in the knee. Corona infection. Zagadou would have played many more games in his time at BVB alone, which came to an end with the expiration of his contract in the summer of 2022, had he always remained fit.

The central defender made 92 appearances for Borussia Dortmund in five years, plus four for the second team. He also made 45 appearances for VfB Stuttgart. Here, too, the number would certainly have been significantly higher if Zagadou had remained fit. Now he is fighting for his comeback again.