Interview with Tom Starke

Tom, what a shame to receive such bad news so close to the winter break, a difficult and tense period for all Bundesliga sides. How are you doing? How did you handle the news?

I'm not doing so great right now, as I'm sure you can imagine. However, injuries are an ever present part of football. I'm trying to be positive and look to the future, as I try and create the best out of a bad situation.

You picked up the torn abdominal muscle during the final training session before the weekend. How exactly did it happen?

What happened wasn't a big deal at all. As I went up to catch a corner that was coming in, I collided with a teammate and unfortunately came out worse off than he did. It's a regular occurrence when you're a goalkeeper and normally nothing comes of it. This time I was just unlucky.

How painful is it for you during the day?

There is a small amount of pain, but as I goalkeeper I'm more than used to the odd bump or bruise. What hurts more is the emotional pain of watching the lads play football in training and not being able to be a part of it.

When can the fans expect to see you in between the sticks again?

I'm sure it's going to take a little time for me to recover and the injury to fully heal. However, I'm hoping that I can return during the winter break as we prepare ourselves for the second half of the season. I'm sure I'll be fully loaded and operational by then.