“Now we are in control. Florian has started to work with our staff, more aggressively. It was my wish. It works well, his ankle is not swollen, these are good signals.”
Yes, OM now has control of Florian Thauvin’s re-athletics program. The information, slipped this afternoon by André Villas-Boas may seem trivial, but it deserves to go a little more in detail to understand how the ankle of the World champion has created some internal turmoil in recent weeks .
Villas-Boas has raised its voice
Annoyed to still have to wait for the return of the French international, André Villas-Boas has indeed raised his voice in recent weeks. James Calder, the surgeon who operated on Thauvin, recently advocated a return to training, not competition, in late February, according to the player’s feelings. AVB had taken it into its head to give Thauvin playing time from OM-Nantes on February 22.
Two opposing visions. On the one hand, a coach, concerned about the health of his players, but who sometimes has the feeling that some doctors are being a little too careful. On the other hand, a surgeon, who refuses to give in to the pressure of sports deadlines and who wishes to stick to the tips of his nails to respect a treatment protocol to avoid a relapse.
Internal tensions
The takeover by the staff of André Villas-Boas of Thauvin’s fitness program was therefore not done with confidence. The statements of the Olympian coach, who had spoken of a “defeat for us … and for the surgeon” at the mention of an extended deadline for his return to competition, made some teeth cringe, James Calder being renowned as the reference in Europe for ankle problems.
The surgeon made a point of recalling that he had not forced anyone, that his main objective is to preserve the player’s career and that the decision for the operation was taken after validation by the staff and his entourage.
The English surgeon no longer wants his responsibility to be engaged
Impatient to find Thauvin, André Villas-Boas therefore asked that the OM and his staff are now in charge of the player’s fitness. The Marseille winger now works mainly with Pedro Silva, AVB’s physical trainer and trusted man. With a program and deadlines different from what the English surgeon had imagined. Florian Thauvin was previously followed at home by an English physiotherapist commissioned by James Calder. The British physiotherapist has left Marseille. Annoyed that so much pressure is put on him, the English surgeon said that, under these conditions, his responsibility was no longer engaged if the precautions he recommended were not followed.
Resumption date still uncertain
Despite these disagreements and tensions around his ankle, the world champion works hard. The sensations would be rather good, but vigilance remains essential. Aside from a few indoor exercises, Thauvin has not yet touched up the ball. A return with the group is not yet scheduled. Internally, the most optimistic evoke a return to competition and a few minutes in mid-March. Others, more pessimistic, ask for patience and affirm that Thauvin can only be competitive after the next international truce, scheduled just after the OM-PSG on March 22.
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