Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery set to return within two weeks
Bayern Munich have received a boost with the news that star winger Franck Ribery could be back playing first-team football within two weeks.
The France international has been out of action since the 2-1 win over Hoffenheim on 21 September, where he picked up an ankle injury.
After returning to training, the 27-year-old believes that a return to the first team is not far away.
He told German website AZ-Bayern that: "This week I've been able to jog again without pain, so I think I will be able to play in two weeks.”
However, while the player himself harbours hopes of an imminent return, his manager, Louis van Gaal, is not quite as optimistic. The head coach has claimed that Ribery will need some time to return to his best form and may not throw him straight back into
the starting line-up.
'Injured players need time to recover properly'
He said that: "It's difficult with the injured. When they resume training, they need time, because they lack physical conditioning and have lost their rhythm."
Bayern have struggled so far this season while trying to defend their Bundesliga title, and have stuttered to several poor results while Ribery and fellow winger Arjen Robben have been sidelined.
They have lost to league leaders Mainz and Borussia Dortmund while they could only draw with Hamburg to leave themselves a colossal 12 points behind Mainz after just nine games.
However, Bayern have continued their good form in the UEFA Champions League, a competition in which they reached the final last season. They have defeated Roma, Basel and CFR Cluj in their three group fixtures to date.
Ribery’s suggested timeline means that he will remain absent for league games against Freiburg and Borussia Monchengladbach as well as the Champions League return fixture against CFR Cluj.
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