"We have to take it day by day," Nico Schlotterbeck said of his recovery, and he followed that by insisting, "Then I believe it won't take much longer." The Borussia Dortmund defender sounded upbeat, but nobody at the club is giving a firm comeback date yet. Schlotterbeck has not played a competitive match since 20 June, when he injured his ankle in Germany's second group-stage match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Ivory Coast.
Dortmund's cautious line on his return
Schlotterbeck was brief when asked about the injury, saying: "It's basically a long, drawn-out story." That matches Dortmund's own stance. Sporting director Ole Book said the club see him and the other injured players working hard in rehab, but added that "how long it will take exactly, nobody can say - and certainly not me."
There was a more optimistic view inside the club earlier in the summer. Dortmund had hoped for a return shortly before or after the first international break in September and October, but that is still only an estimate. The club had already ruled him out of the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup against Bayern München, and his absence stretches into the start of the new campaign.
What Dortmund are missing in the meantime
Schlotterbeck has made just 2 appearances so far in 2026 because of the ankle issue. In his last competitive outing he was forced off after 45 minutes, even though he still posted a 6.7 rating before the problem flared.
Dortmund will open their 2026/27 Bundesliga campaign on 29 August against Hamburg at Signal Iduna Park, and they already begin that run without one of their main defenders. The club have lost 1 of their most recent matches without him, which is not a disaster on its own, but it does underline how quickly the back line can be tested when Schlotterbeck is unavailable.
His own message is still guardedly positive. The club message is not changing much: rehab first, no date yet, and no rush to promise more than that before 29 August.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
