Simon Kjær has made his return to the pitch after 8 months out.
Today marked a very special day, as for the first time since December 1, 33-year-old Kjær played a match of football.
Simon had been recovering from an ACL injury for 8 months and he came off the bench this evening at Stade Vélodrome to play 17 minutes against Olympique de Marseille in a pre-season friendly.
It’s been a long time since December 1… Today you are back on the pitch, how are you?
“I’m really happy. I’m back after 8 months out. It’s been a long road but it was fun at times too [smiles]! Being back with the team is what I worked for in the last 8 months. I’m really happy to be here with the team, and now it’s just about growth, growth as a team and individually. Let’s go.”
How are you feeling right now?
“I’m feeling good. Of course, I lack match fitness. You can do everything in training, and I’ve done that, but games are something else. I need to play, and with intelligence.”
Your thoughts on the game against Marseille and on the group…
“We played well today against a good team, with a lot of quality. They play similar football to Atalanta or Verona, but we looked good going forward and defended well. We’re increasing our fitness. We’re in a good place. As we said all of last year, we work hard every day and we prepare every day to grow and keep moving forward. It was a good test and a good performance today against a strong side.”
Yet another clean sheet…
“It’s also important to mention that our forwards’ work-rate is phenomenal. They press hard, which makes it easier for us defenders. If you don’t press hard, good teams and players will get goals but we’re working hard on defending as a whole team. We play with a high line but we’re compact at the back. We’re looking good in that regard.”
