“Big relief” over Grønbaek: back for HSV's final friendly? | OneFootball

When Albert Grønbaek stayed down on the ground after a challenge with Isaac Cossier in the 2-2 draw against OSC Lille, HSV fans held their breath.

Up to that point, the Dane had once again been one of Hamburg’s standout performers, confirming the strong impression he had made during pre-season so far. That made the concern all the greater that, of all times, he could be facing a more serious knee injury just two weeks before the start of the competitive campaign.

After an initial all-clear already came over the weekend, there is now more good news. Grønbaek is already back on the training ground and was able to do individual work on Tuesday. While his teammates trained as normal, the 25-year-old was running laps away from the team session and even tried working with the ball at his feet. Only a larger bandage could still be seen on his left knee.

Photo: IMAGO

That means the more serious injury initially feared has apparently not been confirmed. As it turned out, Grønbaek only suffered a cut on his left knee. The first examinations after the match had already shown no signs of ligament damage.

Grønbaek could feature in HSV’s final warm-up match

Merlin Polzin also appeared correspondingly relieved. “If you feared the worst, then this is definitely much more than just a major all-clear,” Hamburger Abendblatt quotes the HSV coach as saying. The fact that his player is already able to run again is “a positive sign.” Grønbaek is not completely pain-free yet, however. “Of course it’s still painful,” Polzin admitted.

Even so, the in-form playmaker could return sooner than initially expected. Polzin explicitly did not rule out an appearance in the next friendly against FC Toulouse (Saturday, 7:00 p.m.). What matters is how the knee responds to the increasing workload. “We definitely won’t take any unnecessary risks,” the coach made clear. HSV fans, however, can finally put their worst fears to rest.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.