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

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

"On Sunday I’ll be at 60 percent and on Wednesday I’ll already 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 I’ll be available to play, even if it’s only 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 statements to 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 about. 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 a very important game is coming up. And then the phone call from Marcelo Bielsa was also very important, he told me good things and reassured me. 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 that’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 far away, but a player is always thinking ahead. In my mind, I’m thinking about 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 as an option.

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