Dortmund’s Marc Bartra back in full training after bus attack

Marc Bartra

Marc Bartra has returned to full first-team training with Borussia Dortmund just under a month after being injured when three explosions hit the team bus.

Bartra, 26, was the only player to sustain serious injuries in the explosives attack, which happened on April 11 ahead of the home leg of their Champions League quarterfinal against Monaco.

Spain international Bartra resumed training at Adi-Preissler-Allee after recovering from surgery on his right hand and wrist.

The 26-year-old was welcomed back by teammates and wrote on Twitter that he had “more desire than ever to play again.”

Meanwhile, Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has described claims that CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke leaked information about the club’s relationship with coach Thomas Tuchel on the day of a match as “nonsense.”

Watzke told Funke Medien there was a “disagreement” with Tuchel in the aftermath of the bus attack.

Reports published in recent days have led some to allege that BVB have been putting pressure on Tuchel by giving information to journalists.

But asked by the dpa news agency whether Watzke had deliberately given the interview on the day of the match against Hoffenheim, Zorc said: “That’s nonsense.

“Aki Watzke was upfront when asked a question and did not beat around the bush. The timing of the release of the interview might be up for discussion.

“It was initially planned for the day after the attack and rescheduled because of the difficult situation back then. There’s no calculation behind it.

“For weeks, there have been reports on disagreements.”.

He added that Dortmund would assess the situation with Tuchel at the end of the season, saying: “What’s important now is to fully focus on the essentials and to be calm.”