Borussia Dortmund lifted by Reus return from long injury lay-off
Borussia Dortmund have received a welcome boost after influential midfielder Marco Reus returned to action at the weekend after a two-month injury lay-off.
Reus has been sidelined since suffering a right ankle injury in a Bundesliga match at Paderborn in November and Dortmund's domestic season has gone from bad to worse in the Germany international's absence.
The Black and Yellows - Bundesliga runners-up in the last two seasons and champions in 2011-12 - went into the six-week winter break second from bottom having lost 10 of their 17 league matches to date.
Reus made his first appearance in eight weeks during Saturday's friendly against Steaua Bucharest in Spain - playing the first half before being replaced by Jakub Blaszczykowski at the interval.
Reus' return will be a welcome boost for head coach Jurgen Klopp, who will hope to call on the 25-year-old in the coming weeks as Dortmund attempt to move clear of the relegation zone.
The Bundesliga resumes in two weeks' time with Dortmund looking to get back on track at third-placed Bayer Leverkusen on January 31.
Meanwhile, defender Kevin Grosskreutz suffered an ankle injury in the 1-0 victory over the Romanian giants in La Manga, but Dortmund do not expect his absence to be a lengthy one.
A statement on the club's website read: "Borussia Dortmund's Kevin Grosskreutz suffered a small ligament tear in his ankle in the friendly again Steaua Bucharest (1-0) on Saturday but is not facing a long spell on the sidelines.
"Grosskreutz will undergo a special rehabilitation programme next week before joining the squad again."
Defensive midfielder Sebastian Kehl was also forced off during the match but Dortmund do not yet know the severity of his injury.
