Axel Witsel has been away from BVB for a long time, having torn his Achilles tendon in January. He underwent rehabilitation in Belgium, before then taking part in the European Championships with his homeland. Now he's back with the Black & Yellows.

Axel Witsel on his return to the team:
"It's been a long time coming. I feel almost like a new player, because I haven't seen the lads and the staff at BVB for six months. But I'm absolutely delighted to be here again. And the most important thing is that I'm feeling very good." 

…his first days in Switzerland:
"We conducted all of the necessary tests in the first two days, because we won't have time for that following our return to Dortmund. We have our first competitive game coming up on Saturday next week."

…his comeback at the EUROs:
"It wasn't an easy time. I had to work hard to get fit for the European Championships. When I got injured in January, I didn't waste any time thinking about the EUROs. But from the end of March, I started to think I really could make it. Fortunately I managed that and played four times without any pain. I felt good, and it was a very good comeback." 

…Marco Rose:
"We've spoken a bit, but I'm not yet back on the training ground. I'll probably return to team training tomorrow. I have a good feeling and I think that the other players do as well. His training is not easy; it's very intense with a lot of running. We want to improve this season."

…a midfield diamond, which only allows for one holding player:
"We have a lot of high-quality midfielders in the team, regardless of the system we play. We always have to battle in order to get into the starting XI. That's another great thing about football."

…the lack of defensive fine-tuning:
"We still have time, even if it's not as much as usual. But we still have slightly more than a week in which to work. Thomas and Jude will return on Monday, meaning that everyone will be back on the pitch." 

…possibly playing in defence:
"It's not my position. Everyone knows that I prefer to play in defensive midfield. But if we have too few defenders and I have to play there once, then I'll help the team. No problem." 

…personal and team goals:
"I would prefer to speak about our joint objectives, because that's more important. Everyone wants to win but to do so we need to become more consistent and not play well for a month then let up for several matches. The most important thing for us is to play at a high level all season. Then we can achieve more than we did last season."
Transcribed by Christina Reinke