Long road back: BVB's comeback plan for Konstantelias | OneFootball

When will Giannis Konstantelias return? The shock over the serious knee injury suffered by the 23-year-old midfielder runs deep at Borussia Dortmund. But now there is a first glimmer of hope. A timeline outlines the stages leading up to his return to team training.

Joy and sorrow were close together for the new signing in the Bundesliga match against Hamburger SV (2:0) last Saturday (29 August). In stoppage time, Konstantelias made it 2:0. But just a few minutes after the restart, he was injured so badly in an innocuous challenge with HSV player Bakery Jatta (28) that BVB coach Niko Kovac (54) had to substitute him.

The diagnosis was: torn cruciate ligament. For the time being, the Greek is sidelined. He will be forced to watch from the sidelines in the coming months. However, there is now an initial rough roadmap for Konstantelias’ comeback on the pitch.

Going under the knife in Munich

According to information from PAOK Today, the BVB professional will go under the knife in Munich next week. A long rehabilitation phase will then begin for the 23-year-old. Konstantelias is expected to be unavailable to Borussia Dortmund for five to six months, it is said. If everything goes according to plan, the 18-time international, whom the Black and Yellows have replaced with Ethan Nwaneri (19) from Arsenal, would return to the pitch in the second half of the season.

Photo: Getty Images

If Konstantelias’ recovery goes according to plan, he would be available again at an almost record-breaking pace. The case of Emre Can (32) shows how lengthy such an injury can be. The captain also suffered a torn cruciate ligament on 28 February 2026 in the top clash against Bayern Munich (2:3). Almost seven months later, the veteran is still grinding through rehab and continues to wait eagerly for his comeback.

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