Bayern Munich defender Holger Badstuber is excited to get back into action when he returns to the field in Wednesday's friendly against AC Milan.
The centre-back fractured his ankle in a training session in February and missed the rest of Bayern's Bundesliga-winning campaign. Now, Badstuber is ready to return and is raring to go with his club.
"I think we have a good plan to make sure I’m fit for a long time. We have to go step by step and (Wednesday) is the first game I can play in the preseason," Badstuber told Goal. "I just trained, so now I think I’ll play for 30 minutes or something like that. It’s good for me to feel the movement on the pitch, to feel the rhythm of the game. When you have a game, it’s not like training. It’s something special, so it’s good for me to come back and to play a short time."
Though the 27-year-old has struggled with a number of injuries in the past, missing portions of four different seasons, he said his patience was still tried as he recovered from the latest set-back.
"This is always a big step, to come back and to be patient, let time heal the problem," he said. "When you see the other guys, when they play, this is not easy, but I know that I have to keep going, to work and to be focused on your recovery. I think this is the most important thing when you are injured."
There were several changes while Badstuber was in recovery, with manager Pep Guardiola leaving Germany to take over at Manchester City and Carlo Ancelotti coming in to replace him.
So far the Italian has liked what he's seen from Badstuber and is ready to hand him minutes during the club's tour of the United States, which continues on to Charlotte, North Carolina, and the New York City area after Wednesday's game against Milan.
"Badstuber is doing well after the injury that he had," Ancelotti said at a prematch news conference. "It’s a not a surprise because I knew that Badstuber was a really, serious, serious player, a professional player. I think the danger is gone, and (Wednesday) I think he can start, maybe not (play) all the time, but he can play 30, 40 minutes."
- Goal