The Granata defender’s return to the field after being sidelined for a year after rupturing his cruciate ligament is still a long way off
A year after his cruciate rupture, Perr Schuurs still can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. “I think the path is still long”explained Vanoli, responding to those who asked him about the Dutchman’s recovery. The centre-back’s return to the field was expected at the beginning of November, but the player still feels discomfort in his knee and so the time is inevitably getting longer. The latest news is that Schuurs has returned to London and will continue his rehabilitation in close contact with Professor Williams, the specialist who operated on him in the summer. “We decided that it will continue there, in case there are problems”Vanoli’s explanation.
Schuurs, the stages of the ordeal
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It is currently impossible to set a date for Schuurs’ return to the field. We can only limit ourselves to retracing the stages of a very long stop destined to last beyond twelve months. The first signs of a slow recovery arrived at the end of last season, but the player gritted his teeth and tried to do the impossible to get back on the pitch: Schuurs had even decided to cancel his holidays, remaining in work at Philadelphia. Sweat and effort were not enough to overcome a pain that showed no signs of abating, so in August the player flew to London for a specialist consultation with Professor Williams. In the Toro household it was feared that the problem would once again concern the cruciate, with the consequent need for a prosthesis. A risk averted: Schuurs underwent surgery to clean the joint, but the ligament was perfectly healed. A situation that had led to optimism, combined with the first positive responses, leading to the return to full capacity being set for the beginning of November. Now, however, the return of that pain that is keeping the centre-back away from the pitch: the stop in London could help clarify things, meanwhile Toro still sees the return of the prized defensive piece a long way off.
