Borussia Dortmund's young midfielder Konstantinos Karetsas has returned to team training following a concerning medical incident. The 18-year-old took part in his first joint session with teammates on Wednesday, after beginning the week with individual work. His primary target is now 60 minutes of playing time, having averaged 52 minutes per appearance in his first three competitive matches for BVB, during which he received an average performance rating of 2.7.
Incident Against Villarreal
The scare occurred on September 8th during Dortmund's 3-2 home win over Villarreal in the Champions League. Karetsas, who was signed from KRC Genk for a reported fee of around $34.6 million last month, slumped to the ground during the match. He signalled his distress to the referee, sat on the grass, and was eventually stretchered off in tears. He subsequently spent much of last week in hospital. Sporting director Ole Book described the alarming scene after the match. "I went out with him, but in that moment, he wasn’t able to speak," Book said.
Positive Update
In a video published on Monday, recorded during a visit to his former club Genk, the Belgian-born Greek youth international offered reassurance. "I'm doing really well," Karetsas said. "We tested everything and everything is fine. I just need to adjust a bit to the intensity, but that will come with time." Managing director Lars Ricken stressed there had been "no warning signs" of any circulatory problems prior to the incident. Local Belgian media reported dehydration was suspected as a factor. The club has not specified a medical diagnosis. Karetsas was already well enough to cheer on his teammates from the stands during Saturday's 3-0 Bundesliga win over SC Paderborn.
Looking Ahead to Stuttgart
It remains unclear if Karetsas will be available for selection for this Saturday's away fixture at VfB Stuttgart. The Bundesliga's second-placed side, with nine points from three games, travels to face the team currently 14th in the table. The last meeting with Stuttgart ended in a 2-0 away win for Dortmund back in April. Dortmund's squad is also currently without Filippo Mané and Giannis Konstantelias. The upcoming schedule, including the important clash in Stuttgart, can be found on the fixtures page. For the talented new signing, the focus is now on a gradual increase in workload to reclaim his place in Dortmund's strong starting lineup. His comeback is framed by his recent form, which showed an average rating of 2.5 across the five matches preceding the incident.
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