Return to Wolfsburg “realistic”
Patrik Schick is about to make a comeback at Bayer 04 Leverkusen after a long period of suffering. The 27-year-old goalscorer told the “Picture“That a return to the squad for the away game at VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday (3:30 p.m.) is “realistic”. Schick had been out for months due to an adductor injury; he last played for the “Werkself” in March on matchday 23 of the last Bundesliga season.
“This injury is one of the most difficult for footballers, I am happy that everything is behind me and I can concentrate on the future and train with the team again to be ready for the games,” said Schick. Individual training is “completely different”: “It’s not football if you train alone. That gives you condition, but it’s crucial on the pitch and in the group.” He is currently “very satisfied”: “It looks very good, I no longer have any pain, which I did in the last few months, in the last year had.”
His odyssey began in autumn 2022: at that time he had to sit out eight games. The Czech returned at the end of February this year, but only for a few appearances due to the ongoing pain. The bottom line is that the striker, who was the second-best Bundesliga goalscorer in the 2021/22 season with 24 goals, missed a total of 35 games. In addition, his market value fell from 50 million to 25 million euros, making him still one of the most valuable professionals in the Leverkusen squad. The interim update in the Bundesliga is due on Wednesday.
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Now Schick wants to attack again: “Our game looks good from the stands, but I finally want to be there on the pitch. I couldn’t always be happy when I watched. This is finally over, my season begins now.” During his downtime, Victor Boniface, who was brought in as a replacement for €20.5 million, played his way into the limelight with twelve goals in ten appearances. It is unclear what it will look like when both are fully operational. What is certain is that Bayer will need a fit Schick at the beginning of 2024, when Boniface will be with Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
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