VfB rehab coach Martin Franz has Dan-Axel Zagadou working flat out. The defender sprints, passes, goes into the tackle with his training partner – all so that he can hopefully soon be back among his team-mates, who are currently training several metres away in the other half of the pitch at the club’s training base in Hiroshima. “I feel very good, I don’t have any pain in the knee anymore,” said the Frenchman. Following his injury in February, the long period of suffering should soon be over for the 25-year-old.
Thursday’s friendly against Sanfrecce Hiroshima (kick-off 18:30 local time, 11:30 German time; live on VfB TV for subscribers) comes too early for him, but he says: “I would love to be involved myself, but I hope the team give a good performance. I’m hoping that I can spend more time in training with my team-mates when we’re back in Stuttgart.”
And the team could do with him, as Zagadou proved in training on Tuesday, for example, when he put a number of crosses into the net.