Barcelona received quite the boost on Monday as club captain and starting goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen [returned to training with his teammates for the first time](https://www.barcablaugranes.com/2025/3/31/24397675/marc-andre-ter-stegen-takes-part-in-team-training-at-barcelona-for-first-time-since-knee-surgery) since suffering a gruesome knee injury against Villarreal back in September.
The German is now on the path to making a comeback sometime before the end of the season, and Hansi Flick was asked in a press conference on Tuesday when Ter Stegen could be making his return.
Flick made it clear that the coaching staff will take it step by step with Ter Stegen’s recovery, and said there’s more than enough time to make sure the shot-stopper is completely healthy to step in between the sticks again.
> “We’ll see: step by step. When he is better we will see what happens. Now is not the time to make a decision or say anything. We have to focus on today and we have time. The good news is that everything is progressing well with Marc and we are happy that he is at this stage. We’ll see what happens.”
The good news for Flick and Barça is that Wojciech Szczesny is playing so well that there’s absolutely no need to rush Ter Stegen back at all, especially because UEFA’s rules state that Ter Stegen can only return to Barça’s Champions League squad if he takes Szczesny’s place.
Maybe Ter Stegen can play the last couple of _La Liga_ matches if Barça were to wrap up the title earlier than expected, but for now all signs point to Szczesny remaining the starter until the end of the season.