Emre Can: Last season, I gritted my teeth and lasted until the final round before starting rehabilitation. This may be the most difficult stage of my career.

Dortmund captain Emre Can finally returned after being sidelined for nearly 6 months due to injury. In an interview with the club's TV station, he admitted that this may be the most difficult stage of his career, and talked about the support he received and his future goals.

In the Champions League away game against Manchester City on November 5, Emre Can was substituted at the end of the game. Three days later, he entered the starting lineup in the Bundesliga game against Hamburg and won 90% of the encounters in the game. The following is his interview with Club TV:

- How are you feeling now?

Emre Can: "Not bad - not fully recovered, to be honest, but much better than a few months ago. I had a little problem after the game against Hamburg and I could still feel it two days later. But today I felt pretty good."

- The first few minutes after a long layoff caused discomfort in your legs. How did you bear the load?

Emre Can: "It's not easy to play football again after such a long time. I felt it after the game. But today I felt better again and I'm just happy to be on the court again. If I'm honest, this offseason came at the right time because I can't play a game every three days just yet. I have to get back to that level, get back into rhythm and get back trust in my body. That's why taking a break was just the right thing to do."

- Kovac repeatedly mentioned that you gritted your teeth and persisted for the team at the end of last season, sometimes even playing with pain. When did you realize that you really couldn't continue?

Emre Can: "That was after the game against Barcelona. I had physical problems in that away game, and then I actually had problems for the rest of the season. The club knew, the coach knew, I almost didn't train at all. To be honest, I played very little."

"I just It was impossible to sit on the bench and play 90 minutes, and I could only play some short minutes. It was clear to me that I would stick to it, even if it meant enduring a little pain. Then after the last game, I started to rehab.”

- How do you feel when you look back on the past few months?

Emre Can: "It was not a good time, I don't need to beat around the bush about that. Especially mentally, you have to be extremely tough. I had some setbacks in my recovery, so it wasn't easy mentally. Still, I stayed positive."

"Our physical therapist Peter Kuant, rehab coach Dennis Mosher and my teammates have all been very helpful and I have done some rehab with Schlotterbeck and Duranville. Practice. These guys are important to me because I think it would be worse to be on your own, I have to say that. "Doing it with teammates like that, of course, you feel bad for them. , like Schloterbeck being there 24 hours a day, it kind of distracts you a little bit. And off the court, my wife, my family, it wouldn't be possible without them, otherwise I think I would collapse, I would have a mental breakdown."

- As captain you certainly have a special role in the team, but how painful is it for you to miss the Club World Cup and the start of the season?

Emre Can: "Yes, it was very painful. I realized very quickly that I would not be able to play in the Club World Cup, but the next step was actually to catch up with pre-season training. However, my physical condition recurred and it took longer than I thought. As I said, it was not a good period and was probably the most difficult period of my career. But now that I am back, I focus on the positives."

- Now that you and Schlotterbeck are both back, what is it like to be on the court with your team again?

Emre Can: "This is great. I must say that without football, my life would be missing something. Football means a lot to me. It is very important and plays a very important role in my life. I am a little worried about what will happen one day when football no longer exists in my life."

- The season has begun to enter a critical stage. What goals have you set for yourself and the team?

Emre Can: "First for myself to stay healthy and then for us to be successful as a team and hopefully all of us stay healthy. That's very, very important."

- As a player who has gone through a long-term injury and overcame it, what advice do you have for other players going through a similar experience?

Emre Can: "First of all, train hard, even if it is not easy. I spend a lot of time on the training ground here, I believe more time than those players who train every day. But to be honest, I just need to do it. Then it is to shift focus, spend more time with friends off the court, spend more time with family, and keep thinking positively. I believe this is very, very important. Quite simply, your body needs time to rest. Ultimately you can't do anything about it, you have to give it time and keep thinking positive."