Although VfL Wolfsburg are doing brilliantly in the Bundesliga with 13 points, Xaver Schlager is sorely missed at the Lower Saxons. After tearing his cruciate ligament, the Austrian is working on his return to the pitch.
These are pictures that give hope. Just one month after his cruciate ligament operation, Xaver Schlager can be seen in a video taking his first steps back onto the Bundesliga pitch. The Austrian, who ruptured his cruciate ligament in his right knee in the 1-0 defeat to RB Leipzig on 29 August, moves around a green field in a VfL outfit wearing sports shoes in Fuschl am See, Austria, taking small steps and climbing uneven stones. Work on his comeback is already in full swing. At his side: buddy and colleague Stefan Lainer from Borussia Mönchengladbach, who broke his ankle a week before Schlager’s knee accident.
Schlager once again placed himself in the healing hands of sports scientist Franz Leberbauer. The 24-year-old already completed his rehabilitation there two years ago after suffering a total fracture in his left ankle. The ankle was broken, the syndesmosis torn. Leberbauer worked intensively with the Wolfsburg midfielder, but also emphasised that he was no magician. And yet: after only 85 days, Schlager was back on the field and developed into a top player in the Bundesliga over the past two years.
“You are weeks ahead of the rehab plan. It’s going sensationally well!”
LEBERBAUER ON SCHLAGER AND LAINER
There is no prediction yet as to when the Austrian international will now be back. One thing is clear: Schlager doesn’t want to lose any time. Already two years ago he said: “If you love something and like your work, you want to come back as soon as possible.” The chances are apparently good. Speaking to journalist Peter Linden, sports scientist Leberbauer recently said of Schlager and Lainer: “They are weeks ahead of the rehab schedule. It’s going sensationally well!”
Thanks to good healing meat as well as great self-motivation. And thanks to Leberbauer. With his self-developed method, he helps numerous athletes and professional footballers to get back on their feet as quickly as possible. “I fight for every day,” the therapist emphasises. Schlager and Lainer are now fighting together. On Saturday (15.30, LIVE! on kicker) their teams will play against each other. It would be no wonder if the two friends met again on the pitch in the return match at the end of February.