Maxi Araújo reveals when he'll be back in action for Sporting | OneFootball

Maxi Araújo has been absent in recent months due to injury, but he himself has assured that he will be back on the pitch for the next Sporting match against Famalicão and that he could play 30 minutes against the Minho side in the fifth round of the League. Hidemasa Morita is also close to returning to the squad.

"On Sunday I’ll be at 60 percent and on 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 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, speaking 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 might face. 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 match is coming up. And then the phone call from Marcelo Bielsa was also very important, he told me good things and put me at ease. Now, thinking it over, 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 far away, but a player always thinks 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 on," he concluded.

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