Vukcevic: “Something to build on”

“It's something for me to build on”, he said, speaking after his first full game since April. “For my first 90 minutes in ten months it went very well.” The 20-year-old covered every blade of grass against Bremen and put in a stellar performance in the 1-1 draw, which may yet be rewarded by his manager with another starting berth against Mainz tonight. Ryan Babel and Sejad Salihovic will be available against for 1899, but Vukcevic is not putting any extra pressure on himself. “I don't worry about competition. It's good for the team that we have quality players coming back.”

Back after a lengthy lay-off

The game against Bremen marked the final step in Vukcevic long road to recovery from injury. On April 2nd 2011, in a league game against Hamburger SV, he suffered a broken fibula. It was a painful blow, as he said at the time: “The minute it happened, I knew it was something serious.” What followed was months and months of rehabilitation and slow regeneration of his bone. It was thought that he had made a full recovery in time for pre-season last summer, but it was discovered that his leg hadn't fully healed, meaning a second operation and more rehabilitation. “That setback was a bitter pill to swallow for me. As soon as I thought I was fit again, I had to go back and start from square one”, said Vukcevic. But he has finally made his long-awaited first team comeback and is looking ahead to the final few months of the season. “Thanks to the support of my family and friends, who always believed in me and supported me, I've been able to come back stronger. I hope it continues.”