Dortmund Awaiting Schlotterbeck's Return Amid Injury Setback

Borussia Dortmund’s new season has started without its defensive heartbeat. Nico Schlotterbeck, the organiser at the back and one of the loudest voices in the dressing room, has not played a single minute of pre-season or the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup – and nobody at the club is willing to ring a clear return date.

The 26-year-old has been sidelined since 20 June. That night in Germany’s second group game of the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Ivory Coast, he damaged his ankle. His tournament ended there and then. Dortmund’s coaching staff also knew what it meant: the 2026/27 campaign would kick off without their defensive leader.

Speaking to Sky, Schlotterbeck summed up the whole saga in one line.

“It’s basically a long, drawn‑out story,” he said.

He tried to carry on at the World Cup, hoping the pain would ease. It didn’t.

“It wasn’t easy at the World Cup. At first, I thought it wasn’t that bad and kept playing,” he admitted. The decision to push through has since turned into a lengthy spell of rehab.

Rehab grind and cautious hope

Since that June setback, Schlotterbeck has been working his way back, day after day. When Dortmund regrouped in mid-July, there was still a hint of optimism at the club. Internally, the hope was that he might return around the first international break in September and October – either just before it or shortly after.

One thing was always clear: he would not be involved in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup showdown with Bayern Munich.

Even now, with weeks of rehab behind him, Schlotterbeck refuses to circle a date on the calendar.

“We have to take it day by day. We’re trying to let it heal properly and do good work with the physios and the rehab coaches. Then I believe it won’t take much longer,” he explained.

No bold promises. No rushed comeback. Just the slow, methodical work of a defender who knows his game relies on timing, explosiveness and trust in his body.

Leadership from the sidelines

Inside the club, his approach has not gone unnoticed. Sporting director Ole Book has repeatedly highlighted how Schlotterbeck has handled the lay-off – and he is not the only senior figure in that situation.

Earlier in the summer, when asked about Schlotterbeck and club captain Emre Can, who is also injured, Book painted a clear picture of two leaders forced into different roles.

“I see both of them fully motivated every day. During their rehab, they both contribute enormously as leaders – to the team, to the togetherness, to the group. But how long it will take exactly, nobody can say – and certainly not me,” he said.

Dortmund miss Schlotterbeck’s left foot, his aggressive defending, his passing range that can rip open a press in a single swing. For now, they have his voice, his presence, his standards on the training pitch and in the dressing room.

The club can plan, the medical staff can project, the sporting director can hope. But until that ankle finally allows him to step back into a competitive match, the question hangs over Dortmund’s season: how long can they go without their rock at the back?