There were a lot happy and relieved people that Jonas Hofmann shook hands with on Friday evening. Even Dortmund's President, Dr. Reinhard Rauball, stopped by for a short chat following BVB's 4-2 victory over Mainz. Hofmann himself was only relieved because he had just participated in his first Bundesliga game in almost five months.
There was no sign of happiness on the face of Germany U21 international though, who is currently on loan at Mainz from Dortmund. "It was nice for me to have come back here again, but I'm not at all satisfied with my performance."
A foot race with new BVB signing Kevin Kampl towards the end of the first half revealed what the attacking midfielder still lacks after first suffering lateral collateral ligament damage to his right knee back on October 18th 2014 and then enduring a setback concerning the same injury during the winter break. "I'm still missing my freshness and my acceleration," explained Hofmann, before adding: "You could tell that I'm not at 100 percent yet."
European U21 Championship in sight
The left winger played just over 50 minutes against Dortmund and was unable to make much of an impact. Hofmann is looking to regain a robust stature, slowly but surely. He has been in the gym every day since his knee surgery and more match practice will follow soon.
Mainz are bound to benefit from his return, as they were missing his clinical touch (3 goals scored in 6 appearances prior to his injury) and have only managed one Bundesliga win (5-0 against Paderborn) since he was sidelined. Germany's U21 national side could also benefit from a fit Hofmann, as they prepare at two more final friendlies against Italy (March 27th) and England (March 30th) before competing at the EUROs in the Czech Republic, where they will take on the hosts, Denmark and Serbia in Group A. Taking part in that tournament is one of Hofmann's goals. Up until his injury, he was a regular in Horst Hrubesch's team.
It’s already been confirmed that the 22-year-old will return to Dortmund in the summer. Even though their squad will undergo changes, the once shooting star, who at some stage was no longer able to hold down a regular spot at Dortmund against the likes of Marco Reus, will face tough competition. But this new challenge is something he will take on in the summer. His current focus is solely on Mainz 05. "We are in the midst of the relegation battle," says Hofmann, "while Dortmund are back on track." Nevertheless, Dortmund are only level on points with Mainz thanks to their win on Friday night.
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There were a lot happy and relieved people that Jonas Hofmann shook hands with on Friday evening. Even Dortmund's President, Dr. Reinhard Rauball, stopped by for a short chat following BVB's 4-2 victory over Mainz. Hofmann himself was only relieved because he had just participated in his first Bundesliga game in almost five months.
There was no sign of happiness on the face of Germany U21 international though, who is currently on loan at Mainz from Dortmund. "It was nice for me to have come back here again, but I'm not at all satisfied with my performance."
A foot race with new BVB signing Kevin Kampl towards the end of the first half revealed what the attacking midfielder still lacks after first suffering lateral collateral ligament damage to his right knee back on October 18th 2014 and then enduring a setback concerning the same injury during the winter break. "I'm still missing my freshness and my acceleration," explained Hofmann, before adding: "You could tell that I'm not at 100 percent yet."
European U21 Championship in sight
The left winger played just over 50 minutes against Dortmund and was unable to make much of an impact. Hofmann is looking to regain a robust stature, slowly but surely. He has been in the gym every day since his knee surgery and more match practice will follow soon.
Mainz are bound to benefit from his return, as they were missing his clinical touch (3 goals scored in 6 appearances prior to his injury) and have only managed one Bundesliga win (5-0 against Paderborn) since he was sidelined. Germany's U21 national side could also benefit from a fit Hofmann, as they prepare at two more final friendlies against Italy (March 27th) and England (March 30th) before competing at the EUROs in the Czech Republic, where they will take on the hosts, Denmark and Serbia in Group A. Taking part in that tournament is one of Hofmann's goals. Up until his injury, he was a regular in Horst Hrubesch's team.
It’s already been confirmed that the 22-year-old will return to Dortmund in the summer. Even though their squad will undergo changes, the once shooting star, who at some stage was no longer able to hold down a regular spot at Dortmund against the likes of Marco Reus, will face tough competition. But this new challenge is something he will take on in the summer. His current focus is solely on Mainz 05. "We are in the midst of the relegation battle," says Hofmann, "while Dortmund are back on track." Nevertheless, Dortmund are only level on points with Mainz thanks to their win on Friday night.
