The news Bayern fans have been waiting for has arrived at last: Franck Ribéry has recovered from the ankle ligament injury he sustained at Euro 2008 in June and resumed squad training for the first time on Thursday. The France star’s training burden will gradually be increased in the course of next week, Jürgen Klinsmann reported. “It’s all going very well for him, and we’re extremely happy with his progress,“ the head coach told fcbayern.de. Furthermore, Klinsmann declared deep satisfaction with the work put in by the entire squad in recent days.
Interview: Jürgen Klinsmann
fcbayern.de: Jürgen Klinsmann, how’s your back problem?
Jürgen Klinsmann: “Better. After all, the treatment from the physios we have here is first-rate. It was still very painful at the start of the week, but I’m recovering fast now (laughs).“
fcbayern.de: Another man making a fast recovery is Franck Ribéry, who completed some shooting practice with the team on Thursday. What happens next with him?
Klinsmann: “Franck will gradually resume the full training programme as of the start of next week. He was with us for a while on Thursday, although our fitness team advised us not to have him there the whole time. It’s all going very well for him, and we’re extremely happy with his progress.“
fcbayern.de: So you think he’ll be able to take part in tactical exercises and practice matches next week?
Klinsmann: “Exactly. We’ll bring him back step by step, so he acclimatises to the movements we make as a team nowadays. We reckon on taking a big step forward with him next week.“
fcbayern.de: Is there a chance he’ll make the matchday squad in Cologne next weekend?
Klinsmann: “The point at which he makes a full comeback depends on how he feels. He’s been really brutal on himself in rehab training recently, which is often more rigorous and demanding than training with the group. He needs to rest for two or three days now, and then we’ll all be looking forward to next week, when he makes a proper return to the team sessions.“
fcbayern.de: Is the injury still causing any trouble?
Klinsmann: “We’ve been very careful to avoid anything which might provoke a reaction in the ligament which was surgically repaired, but it’s now completely healed, that’s what the doctors have guaranteed. It’s now all about him recovering his rhythm and confidence, the belief you need for one-on-one situations for example.“
fcbayern.de: Are you happy with training this week, in the absence of ten internationals?
Klinsmann: “Obviously we’d have preferred to have all our players here, we’d have developed even more impetus. But what it has done is give us the chance to work with individuals. We’ve had a much better chance to observe what happens when we take a player right to the limit in training, when he works so hard his muscles ache and he can’t run a step further.“
fcbayern.de: Tim Borowski has just said in passing that only one area was causing him pain – his entire body …
Klinsmann: “(laughs) That’s all part of improving your physique. You have to go in where it hurts, move out of your current comfort zone. If that’s the only zone you inhabit, you’ll stay at the same level. It’s not only the pain threshold which suffers, it’s your feelings of desire and the hunger to succeed. Watching from the sidelines, we’re obviously keen to see how individuals react – and we spot nearly everything.“
fcbayern.de: How much were the players looking forward to a first weekend off since training restarted?
Klinsmann: “It does everyone a power of good to go back to their families for a couple of days. Once they’ve got through this afternoon, every one of them will be looking forward to it.“
fcbayern.de: And how is Jürgen Klinsmann planning to spend the weekend off?
Klinsmann: “I’m going on an outing with my family.”
fcbayern.de: Have a great time, and thanks for talking to us!
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