Injured ÖFB star

Xaver Schlager: “We are very special in Europe”

Xaver Schlager(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Just over a month ago, soccer team player Xaver Schlager's European Championship dream was shattered after tearing his cruciate ligament. On Monday evening, the unlucky player spoke for the first time after his injury on ServusTV's "Sport und Talk aus dem Hangar 7". He has every confidence in the ÖFB team.

 "I'm doing well again," reported the 43-time ÖFB team player, who exuded optimism despite his absence in Germany. "I'm looking forward to it," said Schlager.

Schlager is currently undergoing rehabilitation after a successful operation. "It's a pretty boring daily routine with lots of training and things you don't like doing," said the RB Leipzig legionnaire with a grin. This is the second cruciate ligament rupture of Schlager's career; last year he was out for a longer period of time due to a syndesmosis ligament rupture.

The 26-year-old is regarded as a key figure in the ÖFB team's central midfield thanks to his fighting spirit and stamina. Schlager was optimistic that colleagues such as Nicolas Seiwald, Konrad Laimer, Marcel Sabitzer and Florian Grillitsch would be able to compensate for his absence. It's all about "overcoming yourself in your head again and again and making the meters. That's the crucial thing," he said. "We have a lot of players who can do that very well. When I look at our team, we are very special in Europe, we combine a lot of these qualities."