The Daily Bee (January 15th, 2019): Akanji won’t miss rest of the season

• Akanj doesn’t need surgery

Reports came out yesterday that BVB Manuel Akanji does not need surgery on his hip and may return this season. This is very good news considering earlier in the month reports had him out for the rest of the year. Akanji is our best defender and has been crucial to our top of the table run so far. While the signing of Leonardo Balerdi does give us some depth at the position, the young Argentine is not expected to be much more than a depth piece for now. For now we will have to make do with a Toprak-Zagadou rotation to slot with a oft injured Diallo.

• Balerdi trains with the team

Even though he apparently has to go back and compete for the Argetine U-20s, Balerdi did train with the team after his signing was made official. I can’t remember the last time we had a player go out and train with the team right as the ink was drying on their contract, so either he must be very enthusiastic or he is in Dortmund’s plans this Ruckrunde. Hopefully both!

• Former BVB II manager David Wagner leaves Hudderfield

Since leaving BVB, German-American David Wagner has been very impressive at Englands Hudderfield Town. He got a team that was definitely not a top team talent-wise in the English Championship and managed to get them promoted. Then he took that team, without adding EPL level talent, and managed to stay up in the EPL for a year. Now that Huddersfield look to be demoted, currently last on the table, Wagner and the Hudderfield board have decided to mutually part ways. I’d expect that he won’t stay unemployed for long as reports have him as many Bundesliga teams #1 option should they sack their own manger. As long as he doesn’t go to Schalke, I wish him all the best.

Daily Buzz: What is BVB’s current best CB pairing with Akanji out?