Hard-as-nails Super Eagles defender William Troost-Ekong has revealed that he should be back from injury and fit to play active football again in May.
The centerback, who made this known in an interview with CNN World Sports, said that he is doing his best to return to the game as he wants to be 100% fit for next season.
Ekong also noted that he is doing everything to be fit, as he does not know how his rehab will turn out and does not want to rush things because of his tender age.
“I should be back and fit again in May, but I think it’s probably season over. You never know how rehab will go, but I don’t want to rush it because, at my tender age of 30, you have to be smart about these injuries,” Troost-Ekong told CNN World Sports.
“I want to be 100% for next season, 100% right. If I can play at the end of this season, that’s great; if not, then I will be ready for next season.”
The PAOK Salonica player also discussed how he overcame a hamstring injury and a bicep femoris tear sustained while playing for Nigeria during the last AFCON.
“I had a torn bicep femoris, which is basically the outside part of the hamstring. It happened during the tournament, and I think I had a small tear initially in the second group stage game against Cote d’Ivoire. I managed to play on, and then after the final, I had another MRI, and we realised it was really ruptured,” he recounted.
“It was very sore playing with it, and I couldn’t really train after the second group game. I was just trying to keep the swelling down with ice.
“I might do half an hour of training the day before each game, and then during the game, a combination of painkillers and adrenaline means you can get through it. The day after each game, it was definitely showing as I was struggling to walk.”
He added, “But thankfully, now I’m sorted. I went to Finland to have surgery with Dr. Lasse Lampainen, who is one of the best in the world and has operated on quite a few Watford players in the past.”
