Frankfurt captain Marco Russ targeting January return after beating testicular cancer

Russ failed a drug test after his team's game against Darmstadt and it was discovered that the 31-year-old had abnormally high levels of the growth hormone hCG, which was caused by the cancer.

The defender still played in the first leg of his team's relegation play-off against Nurnberg, where he was scored an own-goal and was booked, thereby earning a suspension for the second leg. Fortunately Frankfurt won the second-leg and Russ has been undergoing treatment since.

Manager Niko Kovac confirmed on Thursday that Russ had been given the all-clear and he will now look to build his fitness, with the defender aiming to be involved with the team in their first league game of 2017 against RB Leipzig.

"Marco is healthy, he has permission from the doctors to go back to work. We are all very happy with Marco's news. He was with us today and passed on the message.

"First of all he has to improve his fitness, but he wants to be as close to the team as he can be. He wants to travel with the team to Hamburg [where Frankfurt play a Bundesliga match on Friday]."