Roma's Rudiger returns to pitch as he continues ACL recovery

Roma defender Antonio Rudiger gave a positive update in his recovery from an ACL tear Monday, as he managed to run for the first time in months.

The 23-year-old suffered the injury during a pre-Euro 2016 training session with Germany, and subsequently missed the tournament in France.

Knowing the severity of the problem, the Giallorossi reinforced the centre-back position this summer in the form of Mario Rui, Federico Fazio, and Thomas Vermaelen. Rui, however, sustained a similar knee injury to Rudiger only weeks after his arrival from Empoli.

Rudiger was expected to miss the remainder of 2016, but Monday's development could yet signal an early return.

He made 30 appearances last season for Roma, which decided to activate his €9-million buyout clause to sign him on a permanent deal from Stuttgart.

Chelsea had reportedly expressed interest in Rudiger before he was sidelined.

Meanwhile, Kostas Manolas and Vermaelen have struck an early-season partnership in the heart of the defence, preserving a clean sheet in Saturday's 4-0 win over Udinese.

Vermaelen will be unavailable for the second leg of Roma's Champions League play-off against Porto on Tuesday, after picking up a red card 41 minutes into his club debut at the Estadio do Dragao last week.