Nottingham Forest confirmed on Friday that Michael Hefele has ‘returned to training’ ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Derby County. The 29-year-old had been out for 10 months with an achilles injury that required surgery, but he’s made a full recovery and is now working on match fitness.
Hefele’s return comes after Yohan Benalouane was also pictured back in training with the Forest first-team, but he’s unlikely to feature against Derby. The German centre-back might struggle for opportunities in general under Sabri Lamouchi.
Joe Worrall, Michael Dawson, Chema Rodriguez and Tobias Figueiredo are ahead of Hefele in the pecking order. Alexander Milosevic even left the Midlands club by mutual consent last month after struggling for playing time. Hefele didn’t set the place alight when he was in the starting lineup either.
The 29-year-old has made 18 appearances in all competitions for Forest since joining on a free transfer from Huddersfield Town. His last outing came against Leeds United on January 1, but whether he adds to his tally remains to be seen.
Does Michael Hefele have a future at Nottingham Forest?
Yes
No
Lamouchi has better players to choose from in defence, so it may take an injury before Hefele has a chance of getting picked.