"We want to show our class"

During pre-season, you made your first appearance for TSG since December 2020 in a friendly. How did it feel to make your comeback?

"It was really great. It feels incredible to be fit and healthy again and to be back on the pitch with the lads. The fact that we also managed to get the win against Stade de Reims in front of our supporters made for a thoroughly successful day. However, what made me even happier was the fact that my thigh muscle held up. I hope it's only onwards and upwards from here."

On Monday, you'll play your first competitive game against Viktoria Cologne in the DFB-Pokal. What kind of opponent awaits you?

"We know that the team have already started their 3. Liga season and therefore have had more game time than us. It won't be easy; we know that from the last two seasons when we were taken to a penalty shootout by sides in the third and fourth tier respectively. In principle, we don't underestimate anyone and prepare ourselves for the fact that every team in the competition can play football. We'll embrace the battle that they'll certainly have in store for us and we'll try to show our class."

How have the first training weeks of the 2021/22 season been?

"After a major tournament like the European Championships, your preparations can turn out differently to normal, as lots of players are returning to us late. But that's obviously been exactly the same for other clubs. It's still gone very well so far; the team is in very good spirits and we're all fit."

We've seen that you're currently taking part in various additional sessions after team training. How is it going for your personally after your injury?

"I obviously want to do a lot after being injured for such a long time. I have always worked on myself as much as I possibly can. But I need to take care that I don't overdo it. Because after such a long time out, I can't immediately play three times a week at competition level. I need to slowly work towards it. But I feel good right now and think that I'm on the right track to regaining my old strength."

What are your objectives for the upcoming season?

"First and foremost, I want to stay healthy. Last season was extremely tough to take, because I injured the rear of my thigh on three occasions. But I'm doing everything in my power to stay fit and get out on to the pitch. With that in mind, I simply want to play as many matches as possible."

Has your role within the team changed over the past months? There are ultimately more and more young players joining the first team, such as Tom Bischoff...

"You can see that the young players in the team are learning the ropes from the likes of Christoph Baumgartner or myself. They can always ask us anything and we try to help them wherever we can. I of course want to keep leading the way in training sessions and matches; but in my eyes, that's part and parcel of maturing as a player. This is an attitude that I always had before anyway."