Marco Reus Injury: Dortmund Star out vs. Bayern Munich with Injured Heel

Borussia Dortmund are set to be without Marco Reus when they face Bayern Munich on Saturday after the player picked up a problem in his heel.

Per German outlet Derwesten.de (h/t ESPN FC's Stephan Uersfeld), the club said in a statement: "He has minor heel problems. We don't want to take any risks following his long injury layoff."

According to Uersfeld, Bayern boss Carlo Ancelotti gave his sympathies to Reus: "That's tragic indeed. An injury is never nice. Reus is a fantastic player. But I think that Dortmund have the option to play other good players."

Reus has spent the last six months out of action with an adductor muscle injury.

The midfielder has a lengthy and chequered injury history. It's a career-long issue that cost him a place in Germany's UEFA Euro 2016 campaign last summer.

At the time, national-team boss Joachim Low bemoaned Reus' misfortune, per Bundesliga expert Clark Whitney:

As Norwegian journalist Jan Aage Fjortoft pointed out, it wasn't the first time fitness woes cost Reus on the international stage:

There's no denying a fully fit Reus is a top-quality attacker. He combines pace, flair and intelligence with a keen eye for goal. Those attributes saw the 27-year-old score 20 goals across all competitions for Dortmund last season, per ESPN FC.

His true value, though, may be his versatility. At his best, Reus can thrive anywhere along the forward line, on either flank or through the middle.

Reus is an embodiment of the modern German footballing style, as a technically gifted player who also works hard off the ball. A tireless runner, he relentlessly presses the opposition to ensure fast transitions from defence to attack.

His flexibility, work rate and pace make him the perfect foil for astute passers who can split defences between the lines. That's the type of game Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel favours, and it's also what Low preaches at international level.

Reus is an exceptional talent, but his inability to stay fit is in danger of costing him what should be an illustrious career.