Forward Maximilian Philipp Nearing Borussia Dortmund Return After Productive Training

Borussia Dortmund forward Maximilian Philipp is closer to a return to the first-team after making good progress in training.

The 23-year-old arrived from SC Freiburg in the summer and has been a stand-out performer for BVB this season.

Philipp has six goals in eleven Bundesliga appearances this season and was flourishing in a more direct role under former manager Peter Bosz.

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However, soon after die Schwarzgelben's form went off a cliff, Philipp sustained a serious knee injury in the draw away to Bayer Leverkusen in early December.

Diagnosed to be out for several months, Philipp is now well on his way to recovery. Following light gym therapy, the versatile winger trained alongside several first-team players.

Local news outlet Ruhr Nachrichten captured footage of Philipp not only on the training ground, but looking sharp with the ball at his feet.

Also filmed on the training ground was Sebastian Rode, but the former Frankfurter is expected to be out for much longer.

The return cannot come soon enough as Dortmund are facing a severe shortage of firepower up front, following the recent sale of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Arsenal, which drew criticism from club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke.

In addition to Philipp's continued absence, Dortmund are set to be without Andriy Yarmolenko and Jadon Sancho, while Marco Reus and Raphaël Guerreiro are doubts.

This means Peter Stöger can only call on André Schürrle and Christian Pulisic as the natural wingers, but should still be able to rely on Michy Batshuayi and Alexander Isak for Saturday's match against Hamburger SV.