Max Wober reflects on injury nightmare after Leeds exit and raises fitness doubts | OneFootball

Max Wober has reflected on a brutal year of injuries, admitting he questioned whether his body could still handle top-level football after parting ways with Leeds United in the summer.

According to Get German Football News, the Austria defender told reporters during the current international break that missing the 2026 World Cup left him wondering if he could play at that level again.

Wober spent 2025/26 on loan at Werder Bremen after a fringe role in Leeds’ Championship title win, but suffered a serious injury on his August debut. He made only two further appearances, both from the bench.

In early May against Stuttgart, he felt a sharp pain in his knee while taking a throw-in and was withdrawn after 11 minutes, ruling him out of Austria’s World Cup campaign.

With interest limited amid those setbacks, Leeds agreed a mutual termination and he joined Schalke on a free. A sell-on clause from his £10 million 2023 move, entitling RB Salzburg to a share of any fee, also reduced the prospect of a meaningful sale.

Schalke have eased him back, with four Bundesliga outings, all as a substitute. Earlier this month he came on late against Union Berlin, sprinted the length of the pitch and finished a Hwang Hee-Chan cross for 3-1.

Wober said the latest phase has rebuilt his confidence, adding that he feels very good, can go full throttle and no longer worries about training load.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk

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