Franck Ribery nearing return to fitness

Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery has revealed that he is closing in on a return to fitness after being forced to miss the World Cup.

The 31-year-old was left out of the France squad because of a back problem that he suffered in training before the tournament.

However, Ribery is now confident of being fully fit for the start of the new season.

"I'm fine, really good," he told Kicker. "I just need a little time to prepare my body for the new season. Everything is good."

France were knocked out of the World Cup on Friday with a 1-0 defeat to Germany in the quarter-finals.