“I celebrated every goal”

He’s finally back! Linus Gechter returned to team training on Wednesday ahead of Sunday’s game against SC Freiburg (9th October, 17:30 CEST). “It felt great to be back on the training ground with the lads. I will give my all to get back to my best now,” explained the 18-year-old, who had his tonsils removed at the end of August. The centre-back has therefore not featured at all for the first team this season. “It’s been tough to watch on from the sidelines, but I’ve cheered the lads and celebrated every goal,” said the German. Our number 44 spoke to herthabsc.com about his time in hospital, his way back to full fitness and competition for places at the back.

herthabsc.com: Linus, first of all, how are you?
Linus Gechter: I’m good, thank you. I’m really happy to be back in team training.

herthabsc.com: You’ve had a number of infections recently. Was that why you had your tonsils out? How were you after your surgery? Did you have to settle for a basic diet for a few days?
Gechter: Yes, that’s what hoping. It got to a point where it wasn’t normal to be ill so often. I was worse than expected after the operation and couldn’t eat anything at all for the first two or three days. I had to take painkillers for a while and stayed in hospital longer than originally planned. I was finally better after around a week. I basically did nothing in hospital, I just watched football and spent a lot of time on my phone. That’s all in the past now thankfully.

herthabsc.com: As you already mentioned, you are now thankfully back in training. How does that feel and what are your next steps?
Gechter: It felt great to be back on the training ground with the lads. I will give my all to get back to my best now. I will have to talk to the coach about my next steps. My first aim is to get fully fit and feel comfortable again with the team.

herthabsc.com: Your last game was for our U23s at the start of August. How excited are you to finally be back?
Gechter: Very! In an ideal world I’d be back playing in one or two weeks, but I will have to see how my fitness is after the first few sessions back with the team.

herthabsc.com: You were last in a first-team squad on matchday 1 in the derby. How has it been watching games from the sidelines?
Gechter: It’s been tough to watch on from the sidelines, but I’ve cheered the lads on and celebrated every goal. It’s been slightly easier because it’s clear to see that the team is on the way up. Our next win is only a matter of time.

herthabsc.com: Our defence has been more solid so far in comparison to last season. Have you been looking closely at what your defensive colleagues have been doing in your absence? And does competition for places help to drive you?
Gechter: Yeah, that helps to provide me with some additional motivation. However, after being out for so long, I’m just focusing on myself at the moment. I simply have to work on getting myself back to full fitness.

herthabsc.com: As you said earlier, it’s about time for another win. What do we need to do to beat Freiburg to gain our first victory at home this season?
Gechter: We simply need to build on our last few performances and be more clinical with our chances.