Borussia Dortmund playmaker Marco Reus is set to make his return to the pitch. The 31-year-old has been sidelined with an adductor muscle injury since February, before developing tendonitis in July, which pushed back his return even further. But now it appears Reus is ready to feature for Dortmund in their opening fixtures of the 2020/21 season.
Marco Reus Ready to Make His Return for Borussia Dortmund
A Good Start
Reus made an appearance in Dortmund’s 2-1 victory over Sparta Rotterdam in a pre-season friendly. The German international scored in the 63rd minute to help lift the team to victory as he ended up playing 70 minutes total. The goal Reus scored was a terrific run into the penalty area that displayed a sign of very good form.
Manager Lucien Favre was pleased with the outing Reus had during the friendly. He sounded very optimistic when speaking to Sky Sports.
“I’m very pleased that he’s back,” he said.
“He has worked well and intensively. I asked him at halftime whether he would be able to continue playing, and he said everything was good. It’s good that he can play 70 minutes straight.”
The friendly indicates Reus’ fitness is quite good after being out for so long through injury. He was able to play well over half of the match and could be set to feature for Dortmund in the upcoming DFB Pokal fixture and the start of the Bundesliga season.
Veteran Presence
Dortmund’s attacking unit is a very young group of players. Reus is by far the most experienced of the other strikers, attacking midfielders and wingers in the squad. As a result, his veteran presence will be crucial for providing leadership for the attacking unit. The club captain has not been able to be on the pitch for his club consistently and Dortmund only benefits when he is available to be a veteran presence during matches.
Reus still remains one of the best attacking players in the Bundesliga. If he can deliver a consistent and strong season for Dortmund the club will have no trouble being the main contender for the title alongside Bayern Munich.
A Successful Season Ahead?
For the past two Bundesliga seasons, Reus has been very productive for Dortmund. During the 2018/19 campaign, he scored 17 goals and registered eight assists. Last season, it was 11 goals and five assists in 19 appearances. Had Reus played the entire 2019/20 season, he likely would have ended up with one of his best seasons to date.
Entering the upcoming season, Reus has the opportunity to make it three consecutive years of consistent production. Dortmund struggled to keep up with Bayern in the latter stages of last season and clearly missed the presence of Reus on the pitch. His consistent production will be needed as they look to dethrone Bayern from the top of the league. This could lead Reus to put up career-high statistics as Dortmund will rely on his ability to help lead the way.
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