Julián Carranza made his return training today after months of rehab following a preseason injury. The 19-year-old Argentine forward had previously been rehabbing at the team’s facilities following an injury to his left foot.
“Honestly, it felt very good to get back to training. I really missed this,” he said. “I’m also very grateful to the Club and the league for giving me the possibility to continue to come in and recover through this time. We did it as carefully as possible, trying to keep our distance and hygiene. I've been coming here a lot; the truth is it helped me a lot to get to today and back to training. I feel really good, I feel recovered, so I feel grateful to the Club and the league.”
As Carranza was back on the field for the first time in months, he had to readjust his aim.
“At first I felt kind of weird because I didn't remember the size of the goal,” he joked. “But after the first drill I felt good and I was able to score some of them.”
“It felt really good to touch the ball again and be more active. A little weird with the distance, but very good.”
While the extended period of time away from the field was a challenge for Carranza, he maintained a positive perspective thanks to uplifting messages from friends, family and fans along the way.
“During this time, I was talking a lot with my friends and family. There were some friends on Instagram, people who were writing to me and I was trying to answer them all,” he said. “The truth is that I felt very loved by the fans here and in Argentina who were thinking of my recovery. They were writing me when I uploaded stories or when the Club posted something. I’m very satisfied with that affection.”
Carranza’s return to training also serves as a boost for the entire team. Head Coach Diego Alonso expressed how pleased he was with the development and for Carranza himself.
“I’m very happy to see him and especially to feel his presence. He was happy, he was radiant,” said Alonso. “He is feeling very encouraged to after a long time at least rejoin the team, doing what the group does and what we are doing. I was really happy to see him and the joy and spark he had today.”
