Borussia Dortmund and Germany midfielder Marco Reus has targeted a return to action before the end of next season after undergoing cruciate knee ligament surgery.
The 27-year-old is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines with the injury that he sustained in Dortmund's DFB-Pokal final win over Eintracht Frankfurt on May 27.
Reus was dealt the crushing blow of missing the previous World Cup with an ankle problem, but he is determined to get back up to speed with time to spare as he attempts to work his way into national coach Joachim Low's plans for Russia 2018.
"The surgery went fine and I'm already on the road to recovery," he wrote on his Instagram account. "Now there is a relatively long rehab phase which I will follow. I will tackle this with everything I have and I'll do anything to be back soon on the pitch.
"I always come back strong and this will also be the case this time. We have a lot to do with our new BVB coach Peter Bosz and with the national team at the World Cup in Russia. It's my goal, in the new year, to be in top shape for the crucial stage of the upcoming season, fully able to contribute again.
"Thank you for your support, it means a lot to me and gives me strength for the difficult time that now lies ahead. Jogi Low and the boys, I wish you great success for the game [against San Marino] and the Confederations Cup."
Reus was limited to just 17 Bundesliga outings in 2016-17 due to a succession of injury problems.
Daniel Lewis
