HSV with Vuskovic promise: “Will be on the pitch for us” | OneFootball

At HSV, anticipation is growing for Mario Vuskovic’s return. The center-back, who has been suspended since November 2022, still has to wait five more weeks before he is allowed to train with his teammates again.

For coach Merlin Polzin, however, it is already clear that the Croatian will once again be part of the team. As recently as Monday evening, he received a jersey from the squad along with a personal video message from the coaching staff and players. “It moved him deeply and was meant to show once again that he is part of us. He always was, of course, but it will now be lived even more in the season in which he will be back on the pitch for us,” Polzin explained after team training on Tuesday (via Hamburger Abendblatt).

It is already clear exactly when the 24-year-old will first be back on the pitch at the Volkspark: his four-year doping ban ends on November 15. However, he will be allowed to rejoin team training as early as mid-September. HSV is even planning a public session for this special moment.

How quickly Vuskovic will be able to help on the field afterward cannot be answered seriously at this point. Polzin and his coaching staff are therefore already in close contact with the defender. “We just had another detailed video call with him to assess where he stands. We want to know exactly what condition he is in and what he is doing,” the HSV coach reported.

Photo: IMAGO

Hürzeler believes in a successful HSV comeback

At the same time, Vuskovic will have to adapt to a fundamentally changed environment. Instead of a back four, HSV now plays with a back three. On top of that, only three players remain in the squad whom the defender knows from his time before the doping ban: Daniel Heuer Fernandes, Bakery Jatta, and Miro Muheim.

Even so, the excitement is huge among everyone connected to HSV. Most recently, Fabian Hürzeler of all people contributed to that as well. The former St. Pauli coach, who now coaches brother Luka at Brighton, expects an “even stronger Vuskovic” than before his suspension. HSV can look forward to a player with an “extreme mentality,” he said in an interview with Sky.

Polzin himself also speaks of “absolute anticipation.” For him, the defender’s return is a personal story: “My motivation was to make this return and reintegration into competitive play possible for Mario from that day onward.” Now that moment is truly getting closer.

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