Mario Gotze will return to training soon as he recovers from serious illness

Mario Gotze is exercising again and is not far off from returning to training as he recovers from "metabolic disturbances."

Gotze was shut down for the season in February with the illness and there was doubt as to when he would be able to return. But he is active againand showed off that he was back to running in an Instagram post.

Gotze has had a rough few years. His three seasons at Bayern Munich were underwhelming, leading to his return to Borussia Dortmund, but he struggled to break through back at BVB. Then he was diagnosed with the illness, which ended his season.

Borussia Dortmund have stood behind Gotze throughout the struggles with his illness and believe he will be able to make a full recovery. The next step for him is getting back into training, which the club believes will happen soon.

"We are delighted that the therapy worked out that well," BVBsporting director Michael Zorc toldBild. "We are looking forward to welcoming him back to the pitch soon."

The last few years have raised some real questions as to whether Gotze can be the world class player most envisioned he would become. It's possible that the metabolic issue is what's stopped him from becoming that player and, hopefully, now that it's been treated, he can shine once more. Whether he does become a star again or not, it's great to see that he's on track to return to the pitch, though.

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