Wolves striker Sasa Kalajdzic has given an update on his journey back to full fitness, two months after suffering another ACL injury.
The star has been recuperating, after suffering a major setback just a few games into his loan spell with Eintracht Frankfurt.
Kalajdzic had failed to convince Gary O’Neil to give him regular minutes, and the decision was made early in January to loan him out.
It was a decision that was taken with the player very much in mind, with Austrian going to the European Championships this summer.
After he and Fabio Silva had departed, fans expected the club to then sign a new number nine, as did O’Neil. That new number nine was not forthcoming, and Wolves have been extremely short as a result.
Loaning Kalajdzic out has proven a bad move for all parties, and his road to recovery will be long.
But the player seems in good spirits, as he shared where he’s up to in a new interview…
Sasa Kalajdzic is returning to Wolves, as he gives rehab update two months after ACL injury
Kalajdzic underwent surgery shortly after sustaining his latest ACL injury, and it was a successful operation performed by the same man as last time – Andy Williams.
Things have been going well for the 26-year-old so far, who has actually completed his first phase of rehab at the Healthlab health centre in Salzburg.
Kalajdzic sat down recently with Salzburger Nachrichten for an interview, and he has shared how he’s been getting on – and he seems positive about the direction he’s going in.
He said: “I feel good. The rehab is going well, we are all happy with how it went. The latest injury was a big blow and actually came out of nowhere. I just wanted to get away from it all. Through our team doctor in Frankfurt (Fabian Plachel), I was given the opportunity to complete the first phase of rehab in Salzburg. So I’m not too far away from home, but still in a professional environment where I can switch off and work well.”
Kalajdzic says he’s enjoyed being away from the intensity of football back in Salzburg, and that he has been able to spend time with his wife and newborn son.
He will actually be returning to Compton soon. He added: “After the six weeks in Salzburg, I’m going back to Wolverhampton. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to get fit until the end of my loan contract in the summer. That’s why I want to do further rehab in England and attack again in Wolverhampton. I received very good support from all sides, which helped me a lot in the first few weeks.”
Kalajdzic stopped short of offering a date for his return. It has previously been suggested though that it will be around winter time.
Kalajdzic playing for Wolves again seems very unlikely
It is good to hear that Kalajdzic’s early rehab has been going well.
From his whole interview with SN, he appears to be in good spirits which is good to see. Others may not handle suffering a third ACL injury quite so well.
That said, Kalajdzic will probably have his tough moments. But he seems determined to get back to full strength again, and the early signs are good.
The £35,000-a-week star playing for Wolves again though does seem a bit unlikely.
He may well have some kind of involvement in pre-season. But we saw how rarely O’Neil turned to him when he was fit and available, and the manager said after Kalajdzic had left that he still wouldn’t have played much, suggesting he’s just not really his kind of player.
With that in mind, it would be a surprise to see him pull that old gold shirt on again in a competitive setting.
