Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 7y

Dortmund's Mario Gotze 'feeling OK' amid medical issues - father

Mario Gotze's father has told Bild the Borussia Dortmund midfielder is "feeling OK" despite being withdrawn from training for medical reasons.

Gotze, 24, is currently awaiting treatment for "metabolic disturbances," which were only discovered following several muscular problems after his return to Dortmund from Bayern Munich in the summer.

"He's feeling okay, but he can't really do anything but sit at home and wait," Gotze's father, Jurgen, told Bild while attending an under-19 game at Bayern Munich's training ground at the weekend.

He said a decision over his son's treatment plan would be made "soon."

When asked whether anything could be said about the illness or a possible return date, he replied: "No. We all must have patience. He needs to liven up again first."

Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has said the issue will not be "short-term."

Meanwhile, Dortmund have offered their backing to Kevin Grosskreutz after his Stuttgart contract was terminated on Friday. 

Grosskreutz was attacked while out after midnight in Stuttgart with VfB academy players early last week.

A message on Dortmund's Twitter account read: "Mistakes are the one thing, to accept responsibility another thing. We wish you and your family strength and peace."

Already on Saturday, Borussia supporters displayed a "Chin up, Kevin" banner on the stands of the Westfalenstadion.

Dortmund-born Grosskreutz, 28, announced on Friday that he will now take a break from professional football. He won back-to-back titles with Dortmund in 2011 and 2012, when he also lifted the DFB Poka.

He is a 2014 World Cup winner, although he did not feature for Germany during the tournament in Brazil.

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