28 Jul 2021 16:27:22
Away from transfers am looking forward to seeing Van Dijk getting a run out in tomorrows friendly.

Considering this injury he has had and the time he has been out - expect him to be a bit rusty and maybe his descion making/ passing/ tackling etc won't be at the level we expect of him. I just hope the football virgins don't use these small details in his first few games to say 'he won't be the same player anymore' - 'his lost his pace' and whatever other rubbish you see after a poor performance.

The same will apply to Gomez when he is back and to all our players.

{Ed0666's Note - well said mate

28 Jul 2021 16:44:36
It is an incredible hard injury to come back from. I just had my ACL reconstructed on Monday. I think people should be grateful if they only come back at 50-80%. He has been out since October, I would not expect VV to find his feet until at least September, maybe longer. The big thing is not to rush them back into it otherwise you just risk reinjuring it.

28 Jul 2021 16:48:47
As long as he gets through unscathed and gains fitness and match experience the result is inconsequential. Pre seasons are by and large meaningless.

28 Jul 2021 19:31:26
Surfingmoses, I fully agree that it is a very hard injury to come back from. I had my knee tendon ripped and got it completely reconstructed and even 10 years later, the damage is still there.

That said, these guys gave state of the art recovery facilities and unlike us who prolly still have to go to work every day and handle our personal business, these athletes have all the time in world to fully focus on their rehab with the best doctors keeping track of their progress. So context matters here in terms of recovery levels.

As for VVD and Big Joe, we will have to see what happens. If he is coming thru training without any swelling then that is a great sign already so now, it will depend on how the muscles react to constant stretching and pressure during the game. I still expect some muscle niggles here and there.

29 Jul 2021 12:40:03
His biggest test will be getting that first 50/ 50 tackle and mentally over coming that, he will have had endless tests and scan to make sure the knee is 100% ready for the games, look forward to seeing him and Konate smashing the league.

29 Jul 2021 12:50:54
Ouch. Sorry if this sounds a bit like the 4 Yorkshireman sketch … a House!? Paradise, we lived in a hole in the road …
I ruptured my ACL and MCL almost 20 years ago. It was a long road of recovery and it still plays me up on occasion. Needless to say medical technology has advanced immeasurably but Virg will be very tentative and I am not expecting too much from him for the early third of the season.
There may be a few bumps in the road for him but I pray he makes a full and complete recovery and returns to full-on beast mode.