More than six months have passed since Nikolas Nartey’s last VfB appearance – a 2-1 friendly win over Vitesse Arnhem in July. Since damaging the cartilage in his knee during pre-season, the 23-year-old Dane has undergone surgery as well as several months of recovery work in his home country. “It was very good of the club to let me start my recovery in Denmark and spend a lot of time with my family during that period,” Nartey said. “I’ve spent a long time recovering, so I’m very happy to finally be back on the pitch with my team-mates.”
Nartey arrived back in Stuttgart last week and is now working meticulously towards his comeback – which is pencilled in for the beginning of next season – alongside recovery coach Martin Franz. “Training with Martin is very intense,” the midfielder continued. “The most important thing for me is to get really fit – and stay that way. I’m approaching everything without pressure.”
Looking ahead to VfB’s trip to his former club 1. FC Köln on Saturday, Nartey said: “I’ve been following all the lads’ games this season. It’s great to see the brand of football the lads are playing and that they’re all having fun together. They’ll need to have another good game on Saturday.”