Freddie Ljungberg Plotting Return to Europe?

Freddie Ljungberg hasn’t played for Seattle since July 4 because of an ankle injury, and if the rumors floating around him are true, he may not be playing for them again anytime soon.

The Sun and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer are both reporting that the former Arsenal winger is considering leaving the Sounders for a possible return to Europe.

“Ljungberg is still with the ankle but also, at this point, he is exploring options,” Seattle coach Sigi Schmid told reporters. “So we’ll see how things proceed in the next three, four, five days.”

Sounders’ general manager Adrian Hanauer also sounds like a man preparing to retool his roster a bit.

“I don’t anticipate the roster staying completely as it is,” he said. “The transfer window opened two days ago and we’ve been working hard and will continue to work hard to make the team better. That certainly is likely to include … There are internal things we can do then there are roster moves and certainly roster moves are something that we’re working on.”

The former Swedish international has made 37 league starts for the Sounders since his arrival in 2009, netting two goals and 12 assists in that span.

Think Ljungberg is heading back to Europe? Will Seattle, which has been playing fairly well in his absense, need to make a move to replace him?

I guess we’ll just have to see how things proceed…