It has been a tremendous season for Barcelona up until now, and it is made more impressive considering they have been without their captain for almost the entire campaign.
Back in September, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen suffered a serious knee injury after a freak incident during Barcelona’s 5-1 victory over Villarreal at La Ceramica. The German goalkeeper was immediately confirmed to require surgery, and while he was not expected to play again this season, he could now be back in action in a few weeks’ time, having recently returned to training.
Speaking to BILD (via Relevo), Ter Stegen has now opened up on that injury, as he took himself back to that moment in September.
“The first thing I felt was a pull on my thigh. The pain ran through my body. Looking down, I knew instantly that it wasn’t just a thigh problem. My knee was in a completely different position to where it should be, and it was clear that it could not be put back into place just like that.”
Ter Stegen is expected to keep for the starting jersey with Wojciech Szczesny upon his return, and he spoke on when he believes that he will be able to make his Barcelona comeback.
“I feel fitter than ever and with a lot of energy. I have a great team around me, I can withstand any pressure and I really want to play soon, without having a specific date. If I can handle the tension and all aspects of training with the team well, I’ll give the coach a little push so he knows I’m ready.”
It would be a surprise to see Ter Stegen play again this season, given the form that Szczesny has been in since taking the gloves from Inaki Pena. Further to that, he will be off the place compared to the Pole, so it would be very risky of Flick to make a change.
