Before his ban, Bundesliga club wanted HSV's Vuskovic | OneFootball

The countdown is on: Mario Vuskovic’s multi-year doping ban ends on November 16. After that, the center-back will be allowed to play for HSV again.

The Rothosen can therefore look forward to a player who, four years ago, was still regarded as one of the most exciting defensive talents in German club football. It was only logical that Vuskovic was also on the radar of other clubs. According to Sport Bild, even TSG Hoffenheim considered signing him before the ban began.

Accordingly, a move for the defender to Sinsheim for the second half of the 2022/23 season was on the table. Given his market value of five million euros, HSV would likely have been able to collect a considerable transfer fee in that case. As is well known, things turned out differently: in November 2022, Vuskovic tested positive for EPO. What followed was a years-long legal battle, at the end of which the ban was upheld.

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HSV: Vuskovic “faster, more agile, more compact” than ever before?

During this period, Vuskovic was and remains excluded from team training, but he worked independently on his comeback. His long-time personal trainer Josko Vlasic is playing a key role in that process. He has even attested that the HSV professional has made progress compared to the period before the ban. “I think Mario is better now than ever before,” Vlasic said recently in an interview.

The coach went on to explain: “Faster, more agile, more compact and better on the ball than before. He is making great progress and is very motivated.” Most recently, Vuskovic had even received invitations to training sessions in Croatia to prepare for his return to professional football.

From mid-September, the 24-year-old will also be allowed to train again with his HSV teammates. At the same time, he is already working with rehab coach Sebastian Capel on the next stage of his comeback plan. How quickly Vuskovic will then reach Bundesliga level again remains to be seen. However, those in charge at the Volkspark appear to be convinced.

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