Leon Goretzka has returned to Aston Villa to continue his rehabilitation as the summer signing works towards finally making his competitive debut.
The 31-year-old has yet to feature for Unai Emery after his body reacted to an increased training workload following his free transfer from Bayern Munich.
Goretzka had spent part of the international break back in Germany, but Sport Witness reports that he has now returned to Villa and consequently missed a German Olympic Sports Confederation meeting on Saturday.
Leon Goretzka continues Aston Villa rehabilitation
The development moves Goretzka into an important stage of his recovery before Villa return to Premier League action.
Our latest Leon Goretzka injury timeline explains how the Germany international’s debut was pushed back until October after his fitness setback.
Villa deliberately avoided rushing him during September.
The international break has instead provided a lengthy conditioning window, which we previously examined in our analysis of Goretzka’s Aston Villa opportunity.
Attention will now turn to whether he can return to full team training before Emery’s side face Brentford.
Villa’s next-match guide confirms the Premier League campaign resumes at Villa Park on October 10.
That fixture remains the first realistic game to monitor rather than a confirmed debut date.
