National handball coach Alfred Gislason does not expect top performers from the national team to leave in the next 18 months.
“I don’t expect any further resignations until the European Championships at home,” said the 62-year-old Icelander in an interview with “Mannheimer Morgen”.
On the contrary: Gislason can even imagine a comeback for long-time defender Hendrik Pekeler. “I haven’t given up hope that Hendrik Pekeler will come back,” said the national coach. The circle runner from the German record champions THW Kiel, who will be out for months due to a serious injury, had announced an indefinite break in the DHB selection after the Olympic Games last year.
Other veterans such as Uwe Gensheimer, Steffen Weinhold, Johannes Bitter or Patrick Wiencek had said their final farewell to the DHB team in recent months. “It’s incredibly difficult to build something when important players keep dropping out and they’re no longer available for the national team, so I’m constantly starting from scratch,” said Gislason. But he also expressed understanding for the players: “They long for a normal life, want to spend time with their families and after ten years in the Bundesliga, their bodies need a break.”