Sporting injury boost: I can play 30 minutes against Famalicão | OneFootball

Away from the pitch since the beginning of August after getting injured in the Super Cup against Benfica, Maxi Araújo admits he could return to action as early as the Famalicão - Sporting match, scheduled for September 13, noting that he may be able to play 30 minutes in the fifth-round fixture.

"On Sunday I’ll be at 60 percent and by Wednesday I’ll be training with the team at 100 percent. I’m almost done with my recovery and on Wednesday I’ll train with the team. I’m very happy. I did all the tests and everything went well. On the 13th, I’ve already been told that I’ll be available to play, even if it’s just for 30 minutes against Famalicão. And in the Champions League match on the 18th, I should be able to play 60 or 70 minutes, then I’ll be at 100 percent," he revealed in an interview with the program 'La Mañana del Fútbol' on 'El Espectador Deportes'.

The Uruguayan international regrets not being able to contribute to his national team: "When I got injured, the national team was the first thing I thought of. I really wanted to go, I did everything I could. I was willing to do anything to go, despite the consequences I could suffer. That possibility was discussed, but I knew that if I went and made the injury worse, there would be consequences from my club and my coach when I returned," he explained.

The player explained that the Alvalade club did not want Maxi to join the national team for fear of aggravating the injury: "At Sporting, they didn’t want me to go because I needed to recover 100 percent, since there’s a very important match coming up. And then the phone call from Marcelo Bielsa was also very important, he said good things to me and put me at ease. Now, looking back, it was the best decision."

Maxi Araújo does not hide his ambition to be at the next World Cup: "I consider myself a Marcelo player because I made my debut with him. I know he trusts me a lot. I learned to defend better with him and it’s something I use here at Sporting, where I play as a full-back. He helped me have a great season at Sporting. The World Cup is a dream. I know it’s still a long way off, but a player is always thinking ahead. In my mind, I’m thinking of a great World Cup. I want to play as many minutes as possible so I can help the national team later," he concluded. Hidemasa Morita will also be back in contention.

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