German-Ghanaian defender Benjamin Henrichs nears long-awaited return after a year on the sidelines

German defender of Ghanaian descent, Benjamin Henrichs, is set to return to action after spending close to a year on the sidelines due to an injury.

The RB Leipzig right-back has been absent since December 20, 2024, when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon during a 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.

The injury occurred without any contact, sidelining the 28-year-old for an extended period.

While his full comeback is not expected immediately, Henrichs is finally seeing signs of progress after months of recovery. Leipzig head coach Ole Werner says the 19-time German international will begin reintegrating with the squad next week.

According to Werner, Henrichs’ development following the Achilles tendon rupture has been “positive,” and the defender is expected to take part in portions of team training before the winter break.

“As things stand now, he will rejoin the team for part of the time next week,” he said.

Werner added that Henrichs is making “good progress” and is now able to cope with “a good workload” during rehabilitation.

He emphasised that the process will still require steady rebuilding after such a long layoff, but noted that everything is “going in the right direction.”