Advertisement

Soccer-Schalke's Huntelaar back in training

BERLIN, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Schalke 04 striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar returned to training on Wednesday after a ligament injury kept him out for five months as the Bundesliga club prepare for the league restart later this month. Dutchman Huntelaar, Schalke's first-choice striker since joining from Real Madrid in 2010, last played on Aug. 17 against VfL Wolfsburg when he suffered torn knee ligaments in the closing minutes of the game minutes. He has scored 49 goals in 84 Bundesliga matches. "This was my longest preparation ever," Huntelaar, nicknamed "The Hunter", told reporters after completing his first training session following the team's return from Qatar. "Now the hunting season is open." Schalke, plagued by injuries, have slipped down to seventh in the Bundesliga and are desperate for Huntelaar's return as they also prepare for the Champions League round of 16 match against Real Madrid in February. (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Ed Osmond)