Berlin: Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger will be fully fit for next month’s World Cup in Brazil, Germany’s assistant coach Hansi Flick said on Thursday.

The holding midfielder, nicknamed ‘The Brain’ by Germany coach Joachim Loew for his ability to orchestrate the team’s quick passing game, did not train with the squad on the first full day of a training camp in the Italian Alps.

He is gradually returning to full fitness following a knee inflammation, which caused him to be sidelined from Bayern Munich’s German Cup final win over Borussia Dortmund last Saturday, the latest in a succession of injuries this season.

“He has his programme and we have to see how he handles it… He’ll be bit for World Cup, hopefully,” Flick told a news conference in northern Italy.

Schweinsteiger, key for Germany’s flowing attacking game, is not the only injury concern with top striker Miroslav Klose also undergoing individual training to catch up after missing much of the season.

Neuer, who is wearing a sling following a shoulder injury, is expected to be fit for the tournament. (Reuters)