Currently in full rehabilitation protocol following his right knee operation, Gaëtan Charbonnier answered questions from France Bleu Saint-Étienne Loire in 100% Sainté. Extracts.
Charbo talks about his rehabilitation and the program for the coming months
Charbonnier on his recovery: « It is going very well. For the moment it is running its course. It was 3 weeks yesterday after the operation. The evolution was very good, so it bodes well for the future. »
« I am already finishing my 15 days at the club here in Saint-Étienne. It was my first part of rehabilitation. Then I’m going to take a week where I go a little with my family and work a little on my own. Before attacking Clairefontaine again for 3 weeks from March 27th. And after that will certainly be the time to come back to Saint-Étienne for a bit to continue rehabilitation. I alternate as I did during my 1st cross. »
His stay at Clairefontaine: “ Continue my rehabilitation, strengthen my right leg, quadri, ischio to allow my knee to be safe to be able to re-attack the race quietly. »
Incompressible recovery times
« Already “as quickly as possible”, there are deadlines that are incompressible with this injury. These are transplants, so it’s a minimum of 4 to 5 months before having a graft that turns into a ligament. And then after that it will depend on the progress of the rehabilitation, how it goes and how the knee reacts too. After there will be a last session around 5 months where it will be the validation of the pivots to see if everything is good and to know if we can reintegrate a group and be in collective training. »
« I’ve been through this before so I know how it goes. I also know how I lived the first, how it happened after the operation. It is true that there compared to my first I am much better at the same period. Now I work quietly, it’s not a race against time. There are incompressible deadlines and we cannot do without. You have to be patient but while working correctly to try to strengthen this leg as well as possible and protect this knee. »
Charbo’s explanations of the new face of the Greens!
« I think the arrivals did the group good. And inevitably to end this year 2022 with this draw snatched at the end of additional time against camp it is good for everyone, to be able to spend the holidays with a positive result even if everyone hoped for better. But as I did at the end of this match, we should not trivialize this point because it was important and it allowed us to attack 2023 in style. We had 2 important matches against Laval and Niort, we did 6 out of 6. And that was the start of this comeback in quotation marks. Now there is still some way to validate this maintenance. »
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« I have been with them daily for 15 days. I had been absent a fortnight before. I try to always be in touch with the group because it’s important. Afterwards, it lives very well internally, the results inevitably bring a little more lightness and good humor to everyday life. We must continue like this and continue with this culture of the desire to achieve results and not lose. »
« I have relays in the locker room yes. After all, I’m not the big boss of the locker room either. We are not bad to have experienced at the high level. We try to complement each other. But yes I always try to bring a little touch when I’m not there. I try to do little things for the group so that it lives well. It is important to continue to keep a link. Something has been created and I hope it will continue for the end of the season. »
Charbo talks about his future. Why not in Sainte?
« I was very touched by all the messages that were sent to me when I got injured. I was also very well received when I arrived on my first days here and my first matches in the Green jersey. Me, it did me good, it made me happy to be welcomed like that. Inevitably when we receive we want to give even more. Now I try to give differently, let’s say. »
On his goals: Already from a medical and health point of view it is to come back in good shape, in good health. This is already the main thing. Afterwards, I don’t think this is the right time to talk about all this (his future). I think there are goals to expect for the club. As I said when I arrived, once the maintenance is acquired, we will sit around a table and we will discuss. »