Andreas Beck: working hard at a comeback

With the rehabilitation programme almost over, Beck is now in fitness training with plenty of sprint exercises on the menu. "Andreas' knee healed very well and it wasn't long before he was back running again. He even started training with a ball again last week," explained rehabilitation coach Christof Elser. Step by step, the intensity of the training has increased as Beck slowly nears a return to full first-team training. The right-back has done various exercises with the Hoffenheim medical team to improve the strength of his knee joint and provide more stability in the surrounding muscles. "The knee is stable but I still feel a bit of pain when I do certain exercises," said Beck. "You just have to be patient and see how it reacts to different types of training."
If his knee remains painless then Beck could be back in full training by the end of the week. Sunday's match at Bremen has come a tad too soon for the Germany international, but Ralf Rangnick and the 1899 fans will not have to do without their star full-back for much longer.