Antwerp FC: negative Benson joins, worries about Buta
Today the players of Antwerp are enjoying a day off. Tomorrow the preparations for the restart of the competition against Charleroi on Sunday will start.
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That will still happen without Buta. Priske hoped to recover the right-back immediately after New Years. Unfortunately, the fact that the Portuguese did not go on stage was a bad sign. “His injury has dragged on for too long,” the Antwerp trainer agrees. Buta has been sidelined since mid-October with a muscle injury. Is an operation necessary? “That option has already been discussed, although everyone would rather avoid surgery. Our physiotherapists do everything they can to find a solution. Hopefully he will be back on the field in a few weeks.”
Brand new father Birger Verstraete was also absent from the internship and will train with the group for the first time in 2022 tomorrow. “Whether he can play on Sunday will be of his readiness. Birger is an important link for us. However, it would not be illogical that the fatigue (Verstraete became the father of twins, red, on Saturday.) takes its toll.”
Kebab and wine
And then there’s that covert coronavirus. Benson was the only player to skip the stage due to an infection. The luminary of December tests results and reconnects. Tomorrow the players will undergo a PCR test in the run-up to next weekend. “Everyone returned fit and healthy, hopefully there will be no new infections,” Priske holds onto his heart. “Only Dwomoh is a bit grippy for one day, but passed a few negative self-tests.”
In the year-end period, nine players selected infected, just like assistant coach Anders Nielsen and data analyst Stephen Foyston. Priske himself was spared, although Christmas looked extremely sober due to the sudden corona outbreak. “I ate kebab with my compatriot and goalkeeping coach Peder Hansen and opened a good bottle of red wine. (laughs) We have now had our portion of corona infections in the team. Yet with each round of testing, the fear of new cases creeps in.”