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Bayern Munich's Thiago Alcantara returns to training after injury-hit year

Image: Thiago Alcantara: The midfielder will be training with his team within weeks

Spain international Thiago Alcantara has started individual ball work at Bayern Munich four months after his second knee surgery in the past 12 months.

The midfielder last trained on October 14 and went under the knife a month later, after aggravating the ligament injury that caused him to miss the World Cup in Brazil.

Last week Bayern coach Pep Guardiola suggested that the player would be training with the team in a matter of weeks.

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The club followed that up with a statement that said: "Getting used to the ball was what was on the [training] programme today. It is the next small step towards a comeback."

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It has been a long journey back to fitness for the 23-year-old midfielder. He originally tore his right knee ligaments in March 2014 and, after further aggravating the injury in May, was forced to have surgery. He then had to go under the knife for a second time in November.

As they prepare to take on Shakhtar Donetsk in the last-16 of the Champions League, the Bundesliga champions are also awaiting the return of captain Philipp Lahm and midfielder Javi Martinez.

Image: Philipp Lahm: Bayern's captain is still on the road to recovery

World Cup winner Lahm broke his ankle in November and trained with a ball for the first time on Monday afternoon.

Shakhtar travel to the Allianz Arena for the second-leg of the Champions League on March 11, with the aggregate score 0-0 and both sides keen to secure their place in the quarter-finals of European football's premier club competition.

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