After long injury lay-off: BVB starlet Duranville makes his comeback | OneFootball

Julien Duranville is back. Since his serious injury at the Club World Cup, the 19-year-old Belgian had been unavailable for BVB. Now he has returned to the football pitch—with rather mixed results.

The quarterfinal of last summer’s Club World Cup ended for Borussia Dortmund not only with a 2-3 defeat against Real Madrid, but also with the loss of Duranville. The nimble winger only entered the match after 63 minutes. But less than 20 minutes later, his game was already over. After a fall onto his shoulder, the attacking gem could not continue playing. The devastating diagnosis: acromioclavicular joint separation.

The youngster, who had already been persistently plagued by injury misfortune, has since been working diligently on his comeback. Last Sunday (November 2), Duranville was rewarded for his efforts. In the Regionalliga match of Dortmund’s U23 against 1. FC Bocholt, BVB II coach Daniel Ríos (45) put him in the starting lineup. “He needs to regain his fitness with the second team and work for what’s needed to earn minutes with us up top,” explained head coach Niko Kovač (54) recently, outlining the plans for the 19-year-old’s return.

“After a break of three or four months, you have to give the boy time to find his feet in the U23s, to get a feel for the opponent, space, and speed. There will be no rushed actions on our part,” Kovač added.

Revierderby against Schalke

Against Bocholt, the time had finally come. But Duranville’s performance confirmed that every beginning is difficult. After his long break, the winger was unable to make an impact. Bocholt’s right-back Patrick Kurzen (28) put in a strong performance and didn’t allow the two-time Belgian international to get into his stride. After 61 minutes, with the score at 1-1, the youngster left the pitch. In front of 1,600 spectators at Stadion Rote Erde, the visitors secured a 2-1 victory. The first defeat after six unbeaten matches saw the Black and Yellows slip to seventh place.

Next Saturday (November 8), Dortmund’s U23 will host league leaders FC Schalke 04 II at Stadion Rote Erde. For Duranville, it’s an ideal opportunity to showcase himself.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.