Hertha Berlin coach Pal Dardai working to get Kevin-Prince Boateng fit

Hertha Berlin coach Pal Dardai believes ex-Ghana attacker Kevin-Prince Boateng will be valuable for the team once he completes his special training program.

The midfielder completed his return to the Bundesliga outfit on June 23 after a season spent in Italy with Monza. 

The former Black Star began his career at the Olympiastadion before moving to Tottenham Hotspur on a four-year deal in July 2007 for a reported £5.4 million. Having left the Serie B side, the 34-year-old returned to familiar surroundings as a free agent after spells at Borussia Dortmund, Portsmouth, Genoa, AC Milan, Schalke 04, Las Palmas, Eintracht Frankfurt, Sassuolo, Barcelona, Fiorentina, and Besiktas.

His tactician has now opened up on why the West African is getting special treatment at the club in pre-season.

"We are working on Prince to make him fit. And if he gets fit, then he can help our football," Dardai said as quoted by FootballGhana. 

"He has an eye like no other on the team. Vertical quality, good passes, a leader. He gets a special program and doesn't have to do all the running units right away. That's how we'll physically manage it."

In his first interview after joining Hertha, Boateng promised to help his boyhood club since he 'owes' them.

"Hertha BSC is not just any club for me," he said.

"I am here to give something back. I've been around a lot over the years and learned a lot, but all that, my whole career, I owe to this club. I have never forgotten that Hertha was always in my heart."

The African star was the club’s second signing after 24-year-old Suat Serdar.

Born to a Ghanaian father and a German mother in Berlin, the veteran represented the European country at U19, U20, and U21 levels.

Nonetheless, he switched his allegiance to the Black Stars in 2010 – making his debut in a 1-0 victory over Latvia in June 2010.

He signed an initial one-year deal with the club with the option of extending it.